Gadkari calls E20 petrol backlash a 'paid campaign' as flex-fuel rules for E100 get notifi
The road transport minister says the outcry has faded, pitching ethanol and other home-grown fuels as a way to cut India's import bill.
Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Tuesday that the uproar over petrol blended with 20 percent ethanol (E20) was a "paid campaign", adding that the noise has now died down. He was speaking at an event organised by industry body CII in New Delhi.
His comments came a day after the government notified amendments to the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989. The changes allow flex-fuel vehicles that can run on up to E100, which is close to pure ethanol. For the morning-briefing reader, the signal is clear: the government is not slowing down on ethanol, and is widening the road map beyond E20 blends.
Gadkari recalled that about three months ago there was "huge noise" against E20 fuel. "Now rage against E20 fuel is over," he said, repeating that it was a paid campaign. He did not, in the remarks reported, name who was behind it or offer evidence for the claim.
He also leaned on usage numbers to make his case. According to him, four crore cars and 20 crore two-wheelers have been running on E20 since 2022, and he asked whether anyone's vehicle had broken down as a result. These figures are his own and were not independently verified in the source report.
The economic argument sits at the centre of the push. Gadkari said India can save precious foreign exchange by importing less fossil fuel. He said government initiatives will lift domestic production of ethanol, methanol, biodiesel, LNG, compressed bio-gas, hydrogen and aviation biofuel, and reduce imports of these significantly. For markets, that theme matters for sugar and grain-based ethanol producers, biofuel players and automakers building flex-fuel models, as well as for the country's oil import bill.
On a separate note, Gadkari said he had reviewed 700-800 highway projects after social media complaints about the poor condition of some stretches. "I am not going to compromise on the quality of the highways," he said, assuring that highway users will not face inconvenience over the next two years.
Source: The Hans India.