HUBBALLI: Union Minister Pralhad Joshi on Saturday slammed Food and Civil Supplies Minister Rizwan Arshad for his claim of excess amount of ethanol in petrol.
Addressing reporters here, Joshi said the standard operating procedures (SOP) set by the oil marketing companies for testing have not been followed to substantiate Rizwan’s claim. Joshi said the country has a well-stated ethanol blending policy under which 19 to 21% ethanol blending with petrol is permissible. Of the 14 samples tested, most of them were in this range and a few, as the minister claimed, were said to be on the higher side. This was because the SOPs were not followed properly.
Rizwan’s claim of finding 30% ethanol is an attempt to set a false narrative, for which the Congress is known, he alleged.
Reacting to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s “E20 turned into 420” jibe, the Union minister dubbed the former “immature, childish and foolish”. This showed Rahul’s level of understanding of the issue. Only those involved in “420” acts could make such a baseless remark, he said.
Stating that the country’s ethanol blending policy is a boon for sugarcane growers, Joshi said the oil marketing companies have been asked to clear the bills of farmers from whom ethanol has been procured. The stand of the Congress and its leader Rahul appears to be anti-farmer, he alleged.
Joshi sought to know if Chief Minister DK Shivakumar backed Rahul’s remark or farmers’ welfare.
‘Rs 60K cr additional income’
Joshi claimed that because of the hike in prices of essential commodities and services, and various taxes and cess in the last three years, the state government has been collecting over Rs 60,000 crore additional revenue.
He said, “The guarantee policy of the Congress government is nothing but snatching from husband to pay wife. If this is the situation, how come the ruling Congress is claiming that its guarantees have changed the people’s lives in the state?”
Stating that the state government generates Rs 6,000 additional income by increasing the tax on petroleum products, Joshi said Congress leaders point fingers at the Centre over hike in fuel prices, which are most stable amid the West Asia crisis, compared to other countries.
Asked if BJP will rollback price hikes if it comes to power in the state, Joshi said it will certainly look into rationalising taxes and prices, which have been increased exorbitantly.
PRIYANK ACCUSES CENTRE OF MISLEADING PEOPLE ON ETHANOL BLENDING
Bengaluru: Home Minister Priyank Kharge on Saturday accused the Union government of misleading people over ethanol blending in petrol, alleging that the policy was being pursued to benefit companies associated with Union ministers rather than serve public interest. Speaking to reporters, Kharge claimed that reports from laboratories accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) had detected ethanol content of 35-40% in some samples, exceeding the limits indicated by the Union government. “The Government of India is lying through its teeth to the people. You are experimenting on 1.3 billion people. How does that even work?” he said.
