India, May 11 -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for collective public participation to help India tackle the impact of global disruptions arising from the ongoing West Asia crisis, urging citizens to reduce dependence on petroleum products and conserve foreign exchange reserves.

Addressing a public rally in Hyderabad, Telangana, Modi appealed to people to adopt measures such as using public transport, increasing the use of electric vehicles, reviving work-from-home culture and avoiding non-essential foreign travel for at least a year.

"Use metros wherever available, adopt carpooling and rely more on railways for transporting goods. All these measures will reduce dependence on petrol and diesel and cut the use of foreign currency," ...