NEW DELHI: Amid criticism of the mandate for E20 petrol (20 per cent ethanol-blended) sales and complaints about reduced fuel efficiency of vehicles, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday dared critics to identify a single car that faced problems due to the mixed fuel.
Addressing the 'Viksit Bharat Conclave' here, Gadkari further said that India's dependence on fossil fuels is both an economic burden - as Rs 22 lakh crore is spent annually on fuel imports - and an environmental hazard, making clean energy adoption crucial for the nation's progress.
"There is no case of any car facing issues due to E20 petrol. Has there been any car in the country that faced issues due to the use of E20 petrol? Just name one."
"...false narratives are being spread about the roll-out of higher ethanol-blended petrol. These are paid campaigns," he said.
India has already achieved 20 per cent blending of ethanol (produced from biomass like sugarcane, corn or rice) with petrol to create a cleaner-burning fuel, reducing reliance on imported crude oil and cutting carbon emissions.
Vehicle owners in India do not have an option to choose different fuels at the petrol pump, unlike their counterparts in Brazil, where customers are presented with a choice of fuels with differential pricing. Under Brazilian law, there has to be a pricing discount for higher ethanol blends.
On allegations that companies owned by his family members are involved in ethanol production, and that is why he is pushing for the roll-out of higher ethanol blended petrol, the road transport and highways minister said his family members own sugar factories, and their companies are not dependent on ethanol production.
The minister stated that since ethanol is surplus in the country, the move to make ethanol from corn has generated an additional income of Rs 45,000 crore for farmers of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
"When we decided to make ethanol from corn, the corn's market price was Rs 1,200 per quintal, and the MSP was Rs 1,800 per quintal. After the decision, corn's price went up to Rs 2,800 per quintal.
"Additional Rs 45,000 crore went into the pockets of farmers from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar," he said.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has proposed amendments to vehicle emission rules to widen the scope for higher ethanol blends and alternative fuels, paving the way for flex-fuel and pure bio-fuel vehicles across all vehicle categories.
The draft changes to the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989 aim to provide for wider use of fuels, such as E85 (85 per cent ethanol with petrol) and E100 (which would allow vehicles to run on nearly pure ethanol), as well as B100 bio-diesel and hydrogen-CNG combinations.