Govt to come up with norms for 27 pc ethanol blending in petrol by Aug end
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched the higher 20 per cent ethanol-blended petrol in 2023.
New Delhi, Jul 24 (PTI) The government will come up with norms for 27 per cent ethanol blending in petrol by the end of August, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Thursday.
Currently, automobile engines can run on E20 with minor modifications in engines for corrosion, etc.
'Presently, India does not have standard norms for the E27 fuel…the norms for E27 will be finalised before August end,' the road transport and highways minister said.
India is 85 per cent dependent on imports for meeting its oil needs.
'We import fossil fuels worth Rs 22 lakh crore, which is also causing pollution… so diversifying agriculture towards the energy and power sector is the need of the hour,' he said.
Gadkari said 11 automobile companies have manufactured vehicles which run on flex-fuel engines. 'India is food surplus and there is a need to protect the interests of farmers,' he added.
Use of ethanol, extracted from sugarcane as well as broken rice and other agri produce, will help India — the world's third largest oil consumer — bring down its reliance on overseas shipments.
The target of achieving an average 10 per cent blending was achieved in June 2022, much ahead of the target date of November 2022. PTI BKS BKS MR
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
20 minutes ago
- Time of India
Supply of ethanol-blended petrol jumps more than 4-fold in four years
The ethanol-blended petrol supplied at the retail outlets of the public sector oil companies such as Indian Oil and Bharat Petroleum has shot up from 173 crore litres in Ethanol Supply Year (November-October) 2019-20 to more than 700 crore litres in Ethanol Supply Year (ESY) 2023-24, while there has also been a corresponding increase in blending percentage from 5 per cent in ESY 2019-20 to approximately 14.6 per cent in ESY 2023-24, the Parliament was informed on Monday. Further, for the ongoing Ethanol Supply Year (ESY) 2024-25, as of June 30, 2025, a total of 661.06 crore litres of ethanol has been blended with petrol, achieving a blending percentage of 18.93 per cent, Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Suresh Gopi told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply to a question. During the month of June 2025, ethanol blending of 19.92 per cent has been achieved. All retail outlets of Public Sector Oil Marketing Companies across the country, having petrol selling facilities, dispense E20 petrol, the minister added. Highlighting India's achievements in the biofuels sector, Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh highlighted that nearly 20 per cent ethanol blending has been achieved in 2025, a significant rise from 1.53 per cent in 2014. This accomplishment has resulted in Rs 1.4 lakh crore in foreign exchange savings, substitution of 238 lakh metric tonnes of crude oil, a reduction of 717 lakh metric tonnes in CO2 emissions, and direct payments of Rs 1.21 lakh crore to farmers. Farmers have gained as the sugar mills that are also producing ethanol can now afford to pay higher prices for sugarcane and clear pending dues in time. Encouraged by the performance, the government decided to advance the target of 20 per cent ethanol blending in petrol from 2030 to ESY 2025-26. In order to achieve the 20 per cent ethanol blending target by ESY 2025-26, the government has taken several measures which include a detailed Roadmap for Ethanol Blending in India, expansion of feedstock for the production of ethanol, remunerative price for procurement of ethanol under the EBP Programme, lowering of the GST rate to 5 per cent on ethanol for EBP Programme, and an amendment in the Industries (Development & Regulation) Act for free movement of ethanol across states for blending. An interest subvention scheme for enhancement and augmentation of ethanol production capacity in the country; regular floating of Expression of Interest (EoI) by Public Sector oil marketing companies for procurement of ethanol has also been undertaken.
The Hindu
20 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Stalin hails benefits of reservation for OBCs in all-India quota in medical admissions
On the fourth anniversary of the Union government's decision to provide 27% reservation for OBCs in the all India quota for undergraduate and postgraduate medical admissions, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Tuesday renewed his vow to uphold social justice. About 20,000 students from OBCs got admissions during the past four years, which was a dream that ran across many generations for several families, Mr. Stalin in a social media said. By striving against many challenges, Mr. Stalin said: 'We are ensuring our place in education and employment.' On the occasion of the International Tiger Day on Tuesday, Mr. Stalin, in another social media post, said that Tamil Nadu roared with pride. 'With 306 tigers as per NTCA, this success rests on the shoulders of our forest staff and anti-poaching teams who guard critical habitats across tough terrains.' The Chief Minister further said that about 1,900 field posts have been filled, forces are being upgraded with modern gear, technology, and dedicated veterinarians to boost forest conservation. 'Habitats are being revived by removing invasives and improving forest health. The Tamil Nadu Forest and Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, a specialised unit, has been formed to curb organised wildlife crime. In saving our tigers, we are protecting the soul of our forests,' he said.
The Hindu
20 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Tharoor raises delinking of BrahMos Thiruvananthapuram unit from parent firm in Parliament
Shashi Tharoor, MP, has drawn the Union government's urgent attention to the reported move to delink the Thiruvananthapuram unit of BrahMos from the parent BrahMos Aerospace Pvt. Ltd. (BAPL). Raising the matter under Rule 377 in the Lok Sabha, Mr. Tharoor called for the intervention of the Ministry of Defence and the Union government to protect BrahMos Aerospace Thiruvananthapuram Ltd. (BATL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of BAPL, considering its strategic importance. Mr. Tharoor urged the Union government to ensure that either the BATL, located in his parliamentary constituency, remained under the Indo-Russian missile joint venture the BAPL or was reconstituted as a direct production centre under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). He said the resolution to delink the BATL was passed without consultation with the State government, stakeholders, or the employee unions, causing anxiety among the staff. The BATL, he pointed out, manufactured precision components, engines, other critical systems for the BrahMos missile programmes. Its workforce had played a significant role in boosting India's strategic defence capabilities, he said, highlighting the need to address the matter without delay. Though members are allowed to raise matters of urgent public importance under Rule 377 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Lok Sabha, Mr. Tharoor in a post on X said his submission on the challenges faced by the BrahMos plant in Thiruvananthapuram was tabled on account of the debate on Operation Sindoor in the Lok Sabha, which was ironic in view of the successful deployment of BrahMos during Sindoor.
