Ethanol small share of son's business, mileage loss due to blending is minor, Nitin Gadkari says

Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari has defended Centre's ethanol blending programme amid criticism over its impact on vehicles and allegations of conflict of interest, saying ethanol accounts for only a small share of the business run by his sons and that any reduction in fuel efficiency from E20 petrol is "minor" and largely confined to high-speed driving.

In an interview with The Times of India's Dipak K Dash, Gadkari rejected allegations that he or his family had benefited from the government's ethanol blending programme, while also dismissing claims that E20 fuel damages vehicle engines.

Also read: E20 causes no engine damage, no major mileage loss: IIT Kanpur


He maintained that the programme was introduced after extensive testing and forms part of a broader strategy to reduce vehicular pollution and India's dependence on imported crude oil.

'That business is run by my sons... I have no influence over it'

Responding to allegations that his advocacy for ethanol was driven by personal interests, Gadkari said the sugar factory owned by his family existed long before the ethanol blending programme gathered pace and that he had no role in the commercial operations of the business.

"The sugar factory belongs to my family and it predates the whole conversation around ethanol. That business is run by my sons, the programme is run by the petroleum ministry and the price is decided by the Cabinet. So, I have no influence over it," he said.

Gadkari added that ethanol contributes only a fraction of the business run by his sons and that their footprint in the industry remains limited.

"Ethanol is just 10% of the business and the factories run by my sons have less than 0.5% share of the ethanol business in the country. The companies have a debt of Rs 1,600 crore. Lot of lies are being spread," he said.

Calling the criticism "politically motivated", the minister said a disinformation campaign was being run against both him and the government.

Gadkari also said his support for ethanol predates the current government's push for higher blending levels. According to him, the programme began during the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government and continued under the UPA, with then petroleum minister Mani Shankar Aiyar backing it in Parliament in 2005.

He said he has consistently advocated cleaner fuels beyond sugarcane-based ethanol, including ethanol produced from maize, rice, crop residue and bamboo, as well as methanol, hydrogen and electric vehicles.

Also read: India's ethanol surplus spurs export push amid E20 backlash

"I am a strong believer in alternative fuels, whether it is ethanol blended petrol, electric vehicles, methanol or hydrogen — all cleaner options that will reduce pollution, especially in a city like Delhi, where vehicles contribute up to 40% of air pollution," he said.

He added that expanding the use of alternative fuels would also help lower India's crude oil import bill while creating additional income opportunities for farmers through feedstocks such as maize, stubble and bamboo.

'There is a minor mileage loss due to low calorific value of ethanol'

Addressing concerns over E20 petrol, Gadkari said there had been no evidence that the fuel damages engines and asserted that vehicles compliant with E10 fuel are compatible with E20.

"The campaign is politically motivated. Certain people are targeting me and govt. There is also misinformation about E20 fuel damaging engines. All E10-compliant vehicles are fit for using E20 fuel. There have been no complaints so far about the fuel damaging engine," he said.

Referring to concerns over fuel efficiency, however, Gadkari acknowledged that ethanol's lower energy content can have a limited impact under certain driving conditions.

"E20 fuel was launched after being properly tested. As for mileage, in city traffic in Delhi or Mumbai, you will not see any major change, there may be some loss when you are driving at high speed on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway. I have always said there is a minor mileage loss due to low calorific value of ethanol compared to petrol," he said.

Citing automakers, Gadkari said manufacturers such as Maruti Suzuki had publicly stated that E20 fuel does not damage engines. He added that his ministry had recently invited vehicle owners facing problems to report them, but had not received any complaints.

On demands for wider availability of lower ethanol blends, Gadkari said India had already achieved 20% ethanol blending and E20 fuel was available across petrol pumps.

"People who do not want ethanol blended fuel can go for 100% petrol, but they will have to pay more," he said.

Asked whether fuel stations could offer multiple blending options, Gadkari said the matter falls within the petroleum ministry's domain, while noting that some outlets already sell E85 fuel for flex-fuel vehicles and that several manufacturers are preparing to launch such models.

The minister also defended the government's record on highway construction, saying he had personally reviewed 950 highway projects and that there was "zero tolerance" for poor quality. He said strict action had been ordered wherever deficiencies were found, while alleging that criticism of highway quality was also part of a concerted campaign against the government.

(With inputs from ToI)