MNCs Resist Modi’s Work-from-Home Call
Hyderabad:Despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech about implementation of work from home on Sunday, major multi‑national ccorporations (MNCs) here are maintaining a firm stance against remote work mandates. Corporate employers and human resources (HR) professionals say operational strategies remain unchanged, with no immediate plans to shift away from in‑office requirements.
An HR representative from a prominent MNC said her company is “not ready to give work‑from‑home options to employees yet”. She highlighted a collective reluctance across the industry to offer long‑term remote options. “The management has not mandated any work‑from‑home setups for employees unless they have a personal or situational emergency,” the representative added.
Within the technology sector, companies have not made announcements about giving more preference to work from home. Sagar, a 34‑year‑old software engineer, said, “Some of the employees are at work from home, but due to personal reasons, not because of Prime Minister Modi’s statement.” He hopes that if the government were to mandate it from the central level, companies might reconsider their stand.
This corporate discourse is part of a larger national debate regarding the Prime Minister’s suggestions during his Sunday address in Hyderabad. Among the topics, suggestions to prioritise domestic travel over international travel and the use of Electronic Vehicles (EVs) were prominent. A local student, Keerthi, supported the initiative and said, “If we travel in our country for vacation then our tourism will also get exposure and it will help tourism revenue.”
Phaneendrachari, an office worker, aligned these goals with environmental concerns. He said, “The main reason we are depending on other countries is oil. We can use EV only as it is more environmentally friendly.”
However, many citizens have disagreed with this narrative. Monica, a local citizen, dismissed the Prime Minister’s statement as “baseless”. She said, “We should travel to other places because it’s our opinion. It’s our choice. If we follow this statement then other countries will also follow that only. In that case tourism will get affected.”
An active debate has been going on across social media, where people have pointed to a lack of “value for money” in travelling within India. Reddit user samprime534 argued that if the government improves the vacation experience in India, tourism money will automatically stay in the country. Other users on Reddit and X questioned the focus on the middle class while the elite remain unaffected. Some pointed out the Prime Minister’s upcoming foreign travel after advising citizens not to travel abroad as an example.
On Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also advised schools to conduct virtual classes to lower fuel usage and conserve energy.
