After Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged citizens to reduce fuel consumption and embrace work-from-home measures to cut imports, Anupam Mittal, founder and CEO of People Group and Shaadi.com, announced one work-from-home day every week for employees.
Sharing the decision on X, Mittal wrote, “Kabhi socha nahin, but 1 day remote for 500 employees means 30 k liters of petrol saved a year. Wed r now WFH.”
PM Modi’s appeal
The move came shortly after PM Modi appealed to citizens to adopt austerity measures amid the ongoing conflict in West Asia and rising pressure on global supply chains. Stressing that India imports more than 88% of its crude oil requirements, PM Modi urged people to reduce petrol and diesel consumption, use public transport and opt for carpooling whenever possible. He also suggested that employees should work from home wherever possible.
Mittal had earlier explained the rationale behind the decision in a LinkedIn post. “Yesterday, the PM asked India to import less & consume less imports. Fair ask. So at Shaadi.com, we’re starting with one simple move. One day remote work every week,” he wrote.
“For our teams, that could mean roughly 20% less office commute fuel. Not a revolution. But not nothing either. Nation-building is not always a grand sacrifice. Sometimes it is just fewer cars on the road on a weekday. Small move. Real intent. Our team loves it too. WIN-WIN-WIN,” he added.
The post also featured a graphic estimating the potential impact of the policy. According to the calculation, one remote work day every week for 500 employees could help save nearly 30,000 litres of petrol annually by avoiding around 6 lakh kilometres of commuting.
How did social media react?
Mittal’s X post triggered mixed reactions. Reacting to the X post, one user wrote, “But the productivity will decrease. There’s a reason offices are built. They are dedicated places for collaborating and working professionally.”
“Why just one day, hybrid culture should be embraced and there should be a liberty and trust to work atleast 2-3 days a week from home. There are some BCP teams which needs to be in the office more, but for others why its a mandate?” commented another.
Some users, however, praised the initiative. “This is a great move Anupam. If more companies follow this, India can save millions of litres of fuel every year and also reduce heavy traffic in big cities,” one user wrote.
“Smart move. More companies should take note. This is a win for sustainability too,” said another.
During his Hyderabad address, PM Modi described fuel conservation as a national responsibility during a time of global uncertainty. “In this time of global crisis, we have to make a resolution keeping duty paramount and fulfil it with complete dedication,” he said.
“A big resolution is to use petrol and diesel sparingly. We must curb our use of petrol and diesel. In cities with Metro lines, we should decide to travel by Metro only. If we must use a car, then we should try to carpool,” PM Modi added, while also suggesting that employees work from home wherever possible.