Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari has come up with a new proposal that aims to bring the petrol price down to Rs 15 per litre.
Nitin Gadkari is well-known for his work as a Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways. Over the last few years, he has launched multiple projects across the country. Recently, the Union Minister has been focused on pushing EVs and other environmentally friendly vehicles. He has also been a vocal advocate for alternative fuels. We might soon see flex fuels and hydrogen fuel cell cars on Indian roads. Now, Mr Gadkari is planning to bring down the petrol price to Rs 15 per litre.
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Nitin Gadkari Shares How Petrol Can Cost Rs 15/Litre
During a recent speech in Rajasthan’s Pratapgarh, the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways shared details of new alternative fuel. He claimed that the development of this fuel option will empower Indian farmers and bring down the price of petrol as well. The new fuel, in this case, is ethanol made from biowaste. According to Mr Gadkari, Indian vehicles need to use a blend of 60 per cent ethanol and 40 per cent electricity. He added that the ethanol-mixed fuel would reduce pollution and help farmer households.
“Our government believes that farmers should not only be ‘annadata’ (food providers) but also ‘urjadata’ (energy providers)… all vehicles will now run on ethanol produced by farmers. If we consider an average blend of 60% ethanol and 40% electricity, petrol will be available at the rate of ₹ 15 per litre, benefiting the people,” said Nitin Gadkari. Most Indian petrol pumps carry 10 per cent ethanol-blended petrol. The Indian government plans to double this by 2025. As part of this initiative, PM Modi introduced 20 per cent ethanol-blended petrol at select petrol pumps in 11 states and union territories.
Sugarcane Great Raw Material to Make Ethanol
Currently, India imports Rs 16 lakh crore worth of fossil fuels on average. The new initiative will reduce this dependence and provide an additional source of income to sugarcane and bamboo farmers. The government claims that farmers have earned Rs 49,078 crore over the last 8 years. Meanwhile, the ethanol suppliers earned Rs 81,796 crore during the same period. Additionally, India has saved over Rs 53,894 crore in foreign exchange. It also claims to have reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 318 lakh tonnes.
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Sugarcanes are a great raw material for making ethanol as their high sugar content can be easily used for ethanol generation. Yeasy enzymes are used to convertsugars into ethanol and carbon dioxide. Farmers can also use potatoes, corn, wheat, etc in the fermentation-based ethanol production process. While ethanol is a great source of renewable energy, it comes with certain problems. For example, it easily absorbs moisture from the atmosphere. Unlike Petrol, it is also not easy to ignite. Additionally, if the fuel tank is not used for long periods, it can damage the engine due to fizz separation.
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