PM Modi appealed to Indian citizens to reduce petroleum consumption amid rising West Asia tensions. Sikkim's Chief Minister responded by halving his own security motorcade, banning new vehicle purchases for a year, and ordering half his government to work from home — all within days.
When PM Modi asked the nation to drive less amid oil price volatility from the West Asia crisis, most states issued polite advisories. Sikkim's government went directly into emergency mode. Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang halved the size of his own motorcade, imposed a one-year ban on purchasing new government vehicles (police and emergency services exempted), cut official vehicle fuel budgets by 30%, put 50% of state employees on work-from-home rosters on a rotating basis, implemented a five-day work week, and banned foreign official travel except for medical emergencies — all effective May 18. The PM's appeal was directed at citizens, not state governments, and was phrased as a suggestion. Sikkim's fiscal planners have not commented on what this implies about the state's ability to absorb a fuel price fluctuation without also dismantling the Chief Minister's convoy.