Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called on citizens to resume working from home, citing the deepening impact of the Iran war on India’s economy. Speaking at a public rally in Telangana on Sunday, Modi said the conflict has disrupted global supply chains and increased prices of essential imports such as petroleum and cooking oil. He urged people to reduce petrol and diesel consumption and use less edible oil in cooking to help conserve foreign currency reserves.

Modi highlighted that India lacks large domestic oil reserves and depends heavily on imports of petroleum, diesel, gas, edible oil, gold, copper, and chemical fertilizers. The rising international prices of these commodities have strained India’s foreign exchange reserves. To mitigate the pressure, Modi advised citizens to avoid foreign travel and refrain from buying gold jewelry for the next year.

He also appealed to farmers to cut their use of chemical fertilizers by half, emphasizing the need for national restraint in consumption to safeguard economic stability during the ongoing global crisis.