A senior auto industry executive told me the ideal scenario for India would be a 'baseline' of E20 petrol, with consumers free to choose higher or lower blends.
Inaugurating the event, PM Modi asserted that India's solar installed capacity has increased by 20 times over the decade and ethanol blending increased from 1.5per cent to above 12 per cent.
Just because India's increased oil imports proved beneficial after Russia-Ukraine war doesn't mean Modi govt should continue with it. Israel-Hamas conflict could hurt us now.
Ethanol plant in Panipat will process 2.1 lakh metric tonnes of dry rice straw each year to make 3 crore litres of ethanol which will be blended with petrol and sold.
The govt said the rise would boost supplies and help sugar companies to pay their dues to farmers. India also wants to double ethanol blending with gasoline.
Any major diversion of corn usage towards ethanol production would severely impact India's poultry sector. Modi govt's target of E20 by 2025 needs 2G biofuels.
Concerns range from whether existing vehicles would be E20 compliant, loss in fuel efficiency & whether India has capacity to maintain a consistent ethanol supply.
The last time this matter flared up was when Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, in a very similar directive in April, called for the relocation of stray dogs in the capital.
Finance ministry says the proposed revamp will focus on structural reforms, rate rationalisation & ease of living, & will be deliberated upon in the coming weeks.
The project is meant to be a ‘protective shield that will keep expanding’, the PM said. It is on the lines of the ‘Golden Dome’ announced by Trump, it is learnt.
Now that both IAF and PAF have made formal claims of having shot down the other’s aircraft in the 87-hour war in May, we can ask a larger question: do such numbers really matter?
The sugarcane argument is strong. Because significant amount of sugarcane is grown in Vidarbha where farmers are ending their life due to drought. Move sugarcane to Bihar, which is flooded all the time.
The sugarcane argument is strong. Because significant amount of sugarcane is grown in Vidarbha where farmers are ending their life due to drought. Move sugarcane to Bihar, which is flooded all the time.
My gut feeling is that this initiative will remain a flop. This is too much to handle for socialist India