Gujarat Agriculture and Cooperation Minister Jitu Vaghani decided to cancel his upcoming trip to the United States following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for citizens to avoid international travel and practice austerity due to global economic uncertainties and fuel issues. Vaghani was set to participate as a special speaker at the ‘International Symposium on Cooperative Financial Institutions’ at the United Nations headquarters in New York by the end of May. However, he chose to prioritize the Prime Minister’s appeal and withdrew from the visit voluntarily.
Vaghani expressed that Gujarat’s cooperative model is globally recognized and the symposium would have been a platform to showcase the state’s cooperative framework on an international level. Despite the significant opportunity to represent Gujarat’s cooperative structure at the United Nations, Vaghani emphasized that national interests and the Prime Minister’s directives take precedence over personal engagements.
The Minister had received a special invitation from the International Cooperative Banking Association and the International Cooperative Alliance to address the global symposium. Following Vaghani’s decision, another leader, Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi, also canceled his overseas visit to the United States. Sanghavi was invited as the chief guest at the ‘United Gujarati 2026’ convention in Orlando but opted to withdraw in alignment with PM Modi’s call to limit non-essential foreign travel and conserve resources.
Sanghavi highlighted the importance of supporting the Prime Minister’s initiatives aimed at enhancing economic self-reliance and curbing unnecessary expenses. He emphasized the role of public representatives in setting an example by promoting economic discipline and fuel conservation. PM Modi, in a recent address in Gujarat, urged citizens to adopt measures similar to those during the Covid-19 period, emphasizing practices like Work-From-Home arrangements, carpooling, and reduced fuel consumption amidst escalating global tensions.
