Jammu, May 14 : Declaring their support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal to save fuel, around 40 families from a border village in Jammu pledged to cook food on traditional stoves. The women made 'chapattis' and vegetables on stoves using wood and cow dung.

PM Modi's appeal to save petrol, diesel, LPG and oil and not to buy jewellery for a year came in view of the ongoing West Asia conflict and the resultant global hike in crude oil prices.

Speaking to IANS, a woman from Gajansu village, located near the International Border in Jammu, appealed to people across the nation to follow the same practice.

She said, "Now is the time to rise when the country is facing difficulties. Everybody should shift to stoves to cook food to save cooking gas and oil."

Referring to the lockdown during the Covid pandemic, she said: "At that time too, people had followed PM Modi's directive."

Another woman added: "Given the current situation, we should go back to earlier times when we used to cook food on stoves using wood and cow dung."

"There are 40 to 50 families in our village. Even during Covid, all of us followed the lockdown guidelines; this time too, we are adhering to his appeal," she mentioned.

Further, she described the advantages of cooking food on stoves.

She said, "Food that is cooked on traditional stoves is better than what is cooked on gas. This food is good for health. Even the ash which is left after cooking on the stove is useful for washing utensils. "

"Also, one can sit comfortably and cook on the stove, rather than standing for an extended period while cooking on gas," she added.

Moreover, the women highlighted that consuming food cooked on stoves can contribute towards a healthy lifestyle since one can avoid using oil.

Ashwani, who is also a resident of the village, asserted that during the Covid pandemic, other countries learned from India about how PM Modi runs the country.

He said, "Even during Operation Sindoor, the majority of residents in border areas did not leave their houses despite shelling from Pakistan, and stood by the nation."

Praising PM Modi's appeal, he urged citizens to follow the directive.

"All the 40 families here have turned to stoves to save LPG. I hope this initiative will inspire others, too, to save fuel," he mentioned.

Moreover, Ashwani urged people to carpool to save petrol and diesel. "There is nothing to be scared of, our country is independent enough," he said.

/IANS