New Delhi, July 10: Rejecting claims that India’s transition to E20 ethanol-blended petrol was implemented in haste, the Petroleum Ministry on Friday said the programme is the outcome of more than two decades of policy evolution, technical testing, stakeholder consultations and phased implementation. The ministry asserted that the country’s ethanol blending initiative predates the present government and has progressed through successive policy milestones before reaching the current stage.
In a detailed statement, the ministry said the ethanol blending programme began with a pilot project in 2001 and was formally announced in 2004. By 2006, E5 (5 per cent ethanol blending) had been introduced across several states, while the policy framework was officially notified in the Gazette of India in January 2013 during the UPA government.
The ministry stated that although India had initially targeted 5 per cent ethanol blending across 10 states and Union Territories, blending levels remained around 1.5 per cent until 2014. It maintained that the primary challenge was not the acceptance of ethanol as a fuel but the country’s limited production capacity, which depended almost entirely on seasonal sugarcane-based ethanol and was insufficient to meet blending targets.
According to the ministry, a major shift occurred with the launch of the National Policy on Biofuels in May 2018, which sought to create a comprehensive ecosystem for large-scale ethanol production. It said multiple ministries, including Petroleum and Natural Gas, Food and Public Distribution, Road Transport and Highways, Heavy Industries and Indian Railways, worked together to expand feedstock availability, strengthen infrastructure, align logistics and encourage investment.
The statement further said that in August 2021, Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited invited proposals for establishing Dedicated Ethanol Plants in ethanol-deficit regions. These projects were supported through assured long-term procurement arrangements, financing mechanisms involving public sector banks and mandatory supply under the Ethanol Blended Petrol Programme.
The ministry also referred to the roadmap released by NITI Aayog in June 2021 after consultations with automobile manufacturers, oil marketing companies, agricultural experts and other stakeholders. It said the roadmap highlighted environmental benefits, energy security and improved rural incomes associated with ethanol blending.
According to the ministry, once domestic ethanol production capacity expanded to nearly 1,200 crore litres, compared to the earlier requirement of around 500–600 crore litres for 10 per cent blending, the move towards E20 became feasible. It said the decision was based on improved supply capacity rather than assumptions.
The ministry maintained that the E20 rollout followed extensive consultations with automobile manufacturers, technical experts, testing agencies and oil marketing companies to ensure system-wide readiness.
Citing industry data, the ministry said Maruti Suzuki serviced 2.84 crore vehicles during the 2025-26 financial year, including 1.5 crore older vehicles that were not E20-certified, without reporting E20-related corrosion, abnormal wear or component damage. It added that Hero MotoCorp had reported similar field experience.
The ministry urged consumers not to rely on misinformation circulating on social media, stating that ethanol-blended petrol complies with Bureau of Indian Standards specifications and undergoes quality checks throughout the supply chain. It added that Chief Secretaries of all states have been asked to ensure strict enforcement against any fuel adulteration, while reiterating that there would be zero tolerance for lapses affecting fuel quality.
