Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday dismissed criticism of the rollout of E20 petrol, challenging critics to identify a single vehicle that had developed problems because of the 20% ethanol blend.
Addressing the Viksit Bharat Conclave, Gadkari rejected concerns over reduced fuel efficiency and alleged vehicle damage linked to E20 petrol.
"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," he said.
Gadkari also alleged that "false narratives" were being spread about higher ethanol-blended petrol.
"False narratives are being spread about the roll-out of higher ethanol-blended petrol. These are paid campaigns," he said.
The minister said India's dependence on fossil fuels remained an economic and environmental challenge, noting that the country spends around Rs 22 lakh crore annually on fuel imports. He said expanding the use of cleaner fuels was essential to reducing import dependence and cutting carbon emissions.
India has already achieved 20% ethanol blending in petrol. Ethanol, produced from biomass such as sugarcane, corn and rice, is used as a cleaner-burning alternative to conventional petrol.
Responding to allegations that his family's business interests had influenced the government's ethanol policy, Gadkari said his family members own sugar factories but are not dependent on ethanol production.
He also said promoting ethanol production from corn had increased farmers' incomes.
"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 minister added that the government had proposed amendments to the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, to facilitate the wider use of alternative fuels, including E85, E100, B100 biodiesel and hydrogen-CNG blends, paving the way for flex-fuel and biofuel-powered vehicles across all vehicle categories.
(With inputs from PTI)