Nitin Gadkari finally breaks silence on E20 Petrol blending, heres what he said
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said that a political smear campaign was being run against him over the ethanol blending issue. He claimed that this was a "paid social media campaign." He said that ethanol blending will in fact be beneficial, as it will help cut pollution levels and also save money for India as the country will not rely upon imported fossil fuels.
New Delhi: Union Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday said that the social media campaign against E20 blending is a "paid campaign against him." The Minister was speaking at the annual convention of the Society of Automobile Manufacturers. The answer came in response to a question regarding concerns surrounding the blending of ethanol into petrol.
Social media campaign to target me politically: Gadkari
Talking about ethanol blending in petrol, Gadkari said that the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) had shared their findings on the matter. He said that the experts at ARAI had shared their findings regarding ethanol blending in petrol and its impacts.
Gadkari then went on to say that the social media campaign against ethanol was actually to target him politically. He was quoted by NDTV as saying, ""The way your industry works, so does politics. The social media campaign was paid; it was to target me politically. There is no fact in it; everything is clear. (Ethanol blending is) import substitute, cost-effective, pollution-free, and indigenous."
Gadkari explained that India imports a lot of fossil fuels. He said that reducing this import would also be economically beneficial for the country. He explained that the ethanol being used for petrol was derived from maize, which in turn helped farmers to gain Rs 45,000 crore.
Gadkari also talked about impact upon pollution after Ethanol mixed petrol is used in vehicles. He said that the world agrees that pollution needs to be improved. At this level, people staying in Delhi will have reduced their life expectancy by 10 years, said the Minister.
E20 petrol refers to a fuel blend of 80 per cent petrol and 20 per cent ethanol. The government says that E20 petrol will help in reduction of carbon emission and cut fossil fuel imports, vehicle owners say that it will lower fuel efficiency and increase wear and tear, which reduces the life of vehicles.