Austerity drive: Maharashtra deputy CM Shinde takes Air India flight instead of private jet

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde took an Air India flight to Delhi in response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call to save fuel, marking a change from his usual private jet.

In response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call to save fuel, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Tuesday took an Air India flight instead of a private jet, his office said.

Shinde took a 4 pm Air India flight to the national capital where he is expected to attend a review meeting of the Union Urban Development Ministry.

He often takes a private jet while travelling to Delhi but after Modi's appeal to save fuel amid the tensions in West Asia, the deputy CM chose to take a regular flight, said an official statement.

He has already asked his ministers and departments controlled by the Shiv Sena, his party, to heed the PM's advice. The deputy CM has also switched to electric vehicles and reduced the number of cars in his convoy, the statement said.