New Delhi, May 14 -- Earlier this week, India's Prime Minister exhorted citizens to adopt austerity measures by limiting purchase of gold, avoiding foreign travel, reducing consumption of edible oil, minimizing the use of personal transport and shifting to work-from-home as much as possible. He also encouraged farmers to avoid chemical fertilizers and shift to natural farming.

Most of these measures are meant to reduce consumption of items for which India is largely dependent on imports.

These suggestions are good for the economy and society even in normal times. Given the climate crisis, a shift towards public transport is desirable. But these suggestions are not general, as they arise from a crisis that has been in the making for some...