Indians growing anxious as Modi asks them to cut on fuel
Key takeaways
- With energy prices rising, India's Narendra Modi has urged his compatriots to embrace voluntary austerity and protect the economy from the Iran war fallout.
- At the same time, his business is starting to slow down as customers cut back on small, regular expenses like tea and snacks.
- "I cannot charge truck drivers and laborers more per plate," Verma told DW, wiping down steel tables after the lunch rush.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
With energy prices rising, India's Narendra Modi has urged his compatriots to embrace voluntary austerity and protect the economy from the Iran war fallout. But ordinary Indians say there are already at their limit.
https://p.dw.com/p/5Dh P1Indian government is controlling oil prices, but natural gas prices in the country have already risen sharply Image: Arun Sankar/AFPAdvertisement At a roadside eatery outside Delhi, Ramesh Verma has stopped checking the price of cooking gas every morning. The numbers only make him anxious now. At the same time, his business is starting to slow down as customers cut back on small, regular expenses like tea and snacks.
The commercial gas cylinder that runs his makeshift kitchen has jumped in price from around 2,078 rupees to 3,071 ($21.7 to $32.1) in barely three months — a nearly 48% increase that is steadily erasing the narrow margins on which his business survives.