Union Minister G Kishan Reddy has strongly rebuked Rahul Gandhi's recent criticisms regarding the government's ethanol-blended petrol program, specifically the E20 initiative. Reddy stated that the foundation for ethanol blending was laid by the Congress-led government itself, pointing to a 2013 notification and a global tender.
Congress Initiated Ethanol Blending, Minister Claims
Addressing Gandhi's allegations that E20 petrol damages vehicles and reduces mileage, Reddy presented a detailed timeline. He asserted that the Congress government, in November 2012, mandated 5% ethanol blending across India, effective by June 2013. Subsequently, on January 2, 2013, the Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry issued a Gazette notification instructing oil marketing companies to sell petrol blended with up to 10% ethanol (E10).
Reddy emphasized that despite these mandates, domestic production in 2013 fell short. Against a requirement of 140.4 crore litres, Indian producers could only supply 55 crore litres, with the finalized quantity dropping to 39.8 crore litres. Consequently, the Congress government issued a global tender in January 2013 for 82.03 crore litres of ethanol to bridge the supply gap.
"Rahul Gandhi has decided to lie to this country on ethanol blending... Before either of them continues their lies, the nation deserves the chronology, and the chronology is written in their own government's Gazette," Reddy stated.
Current Ethanol Supply and Domestic Sourcing
The Union Minister also dismissed claims by Arvind Kejriwal about importing E20 or India being forced to use American ethanol. Reddy clarified that India has prohibited ethanol imports for fuel purposes since May 2019, with every litre used for fuel blending now sourced from domestic producers, as confirmed by an August 6 statement from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
Reddy contrasted the current ethanol procurement with the situation under the Congress government. In 2013-14, only 38 crore litres of ethanol were procured. This figure has dramatically increased to 707 crore litres in 2023-24. For the current supply year, Indian producers have offered 1,776 crore litres against a requirement of approximately 1,050 crore litres. Reddy attributed this significant rise to pricing reforms, procurement guarantees, long-term offtake agreements, and enhanced distillery capacity.
Rahul Gandhi's E20 Criticisms
Earlier this month, Rahul Gandhi had intensified his attack on the E20 policy, calling it a "very big issue." He claimed that ethanol-blended petrol was "destroying people's cars, destroying people's scooters, destroying people's lives" and amounted to "stealing directly from them." Reddy urged Gandhi to review the January 2, 2013, Gazette notification, noting, "It carries your party's name."