The government has ordered a ban on red beacons from 1st May. (Source: IE image)

The Narendra Modi government has taken a major decision to end the VIP culture in India. The government has ordered a ban on red beacons from 1st May, according to the TV reports. The decision was taken at the cabinet meeting on Wednesday. According to the reports by Times Now and India Today, only five category officials: Prime Minister, President, Vice-President, Chief Justice of India and the Lok Sabha speaker will be allowed to use the red beacons after the decision is implemented.

You may also want to watch:

Even though the Prime Minister of India will have the privilege to use the red beacon light, according to the reports by India Today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has decided not to use it himself as it will set an example for others. PM Modi had cleared his vision for a transparent government many times and the latest step is a step closer to it. After the decision was taken, Nitin Gadkari became the first Minister to remove the red beacon from his vehicle. “In a historic decision, the Cabinet has decided that beacon lights will be removed from all vehicles, barring emergency services vehicles, from May 1,” Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said.

Earlier, the newly appointed Chief Minister of Punjab Captain Amarinder Singh also abolished the use of red beacons in the state as promised by his party during the election campaign. Last month, the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath ordered that no minister in the state will be allowed to use the red beacons atop vehicles. He took this decision one day after swearing-in as the new CM of the state.

You may also want to watch:

Another major decision taken by the cabinet was that it cleared Election Commission’s proposal of buying new Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines. The decision was taken Union Cabinet meeting that took place on Wednesday afternoon after the Election Commission said it desired to use these machines in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The cabinet has so far cleared Rs. 1,009 crore and Rs. 9,200 for the Election Commission to buy new EVM machines but the Commission had sent 11 reminders to the government seeking funds for VVPAT machines.