The Nascent Information Technology Employees Senate (NITES) has urged the Ministry of Labour and Employment to issue an advisory directing IT companies to allow work-from-home arrangements for employees, following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent appeal promoting remote work to conserve fuel.
In a letter addressed to Union Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, NITES requested that companies operating in digitally deliverable sectors be permitted to implement remote work temporarily whenever it is operationally practical.
The organisation argued that such a move could help reduce unnecessary travel, lower fuel consumption and ease traffic congestion in urban areas, The News Minute reported.
The demand came after Modi, during a recent address in Hyderabad, called on organisations to revive certain practices introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic, including remote work, virtual meetings and greater use of public transport, as part of broader energy conservation effort.
He also urged citizens to avoid non-essential travel, postpone non-urgent gold purchases, reduce dependence on foreign goods and prioritise indigenous products.
NITES stated that the IT sector had already proven during the pandemic that remote work was feasible and sustainable without affecting productivity or international project delivery. The organisation also highlighted the strain caused by long daily commutes in major cities, claiming they contribute to fuel wastage as well as physical and mental stress among employees.
NITES president Harpreet Singh Saluja said the proposal should not be viewed as a confrontation with employers but rather as an effort towards collective national cooperation. He argued that work-from-home arrangements should be treated as a national requirement rather than merely an employee benefit.
Meanwhile, Forum for IT Employees (FITE) also commented on the issue through a post on X, stating that appeals directed only at individuals would not be effective since employees themselves do not have the authority to decide company work-from-home policies. The organisation argued that a clear directive for companies was necessary.
On the industry side, NASSCOM said the IT and BPM sector already operates through established hybrid work models, with companies adjusting work-from-home and office arrangements according to business and client requirements.
In the context of continuing geopolitical tensions in West Asia, NASSCOM added that companies had introduced energy management measures across campuses, including reducing non-essential energy consumption, rationalising certain facility services and enabling hybrid or remote work arrangements.
The industry body further stated that such measures were part of the sector’s broader strategy for operational resilience and sustainability, noting that India’s technology industry has developed business continuity systems and distributed delivery models capable of ensuring uninterrupted services.