New Delhi, June 10 (IANS). The central government has launched E85 fuel for flex fuel vehicles. Now it is discussing with the automobile industry about the expansion of ethanol based fuel in future. This information was given by Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Wednesday.
Speaking to news agency IANS, highlighting India’s progress in ethanol blending, Puri said the country has achieved its targets well ahead of schedule.
He said that the amount of ethanol blending in petrol has increased from 1.5 percent in 2014 to 10 percent in November 2022, while the target of blending 20 percent ethanol was achieved ahead of time.
“The ethanol content in petrol was 1.5 per cent in 2014, which has increased to 10 per cent in November 2022. Our target was to take it to 20 per cent by 2030, but we achieved it ahead of schedule in 2024,” Puri said.
The minister further said, “At present, we are in extensive talks with the industry, including our Automobile Association, SIAM and other organizations. In the meantime, we have introduced E85 fuel. However, E85 has been introduced only for E85-compatible flex-fuel vehicles.”
On the government’s comprehensive energy strategy, Puri said India is continuously moving towards energy self-reliance by increasing domestic exploration and production, doing more blending of biofuels and expanding renewable energy capacity. He said under the ‘Samudra Manthan’ initiative announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rs 90,000 crore has been allocated to drill new wells and boost domestic energy production.
After raising concerns over the recent increase in fuel prices, the minister said petrol prices in Delhi are lower than four years ago due to the central government reducing excise duty several times. He said the government had reduced excise duty on petrol and diesel in November 2021, May 2022 and recently, while many BJP-ruled states had also reduced VAT on fuel.
Regarding reducing the number of subsidized LPG cylinders available under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana from nine to four, Puri said that the decision was taken on the basis of reports of misuse of subsidized cylinders.
According to him, some beneficiaries were using the subsidized LPG cylinders for commercial purposes or reselling them, even though they did not need the entire quota.
–IANS
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