Congress demands immediate review of E20 fuel policy
The Congress has demanded an immediate review of the E20 fuel policy, alleging that ethanol blending has contributed to higher food and travel costs. Jairam Ramesh also sought non-ethanol fuel options, citing concerns over mileage, vehicle compatibility and consumer choice
New Delhi: Hitting out at the Modi government, the Congress on Friday demanded an immediate review of the E20 policy and asserted that an “anti-people” fuel policy that makes both vehicle operation and kitchen expenses costly is unacceptable to the country.
Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh shared on X a screenshot of a media report in a Hindi daily which claimed that sugar prices in the country rose by 40 per cent in three months, jaggery became costlier by 24 per cent, rice by 16 per cent and maize flour by 11 per cent.
“Due to the Modi government’s shortsighted and anti-people E20 policy, inflation is rising on one hand, while vehicle owners are forced to bear the brunt of reduced mileage and vehicle damage on the other,” Ramesh said in a post in Hindi on X.
The public is paying the price for this both on the roads and in their kitchens, he said.
It was inevitable that diverting sugarcane and grain to produce ethanol for a 20 per cent blend with petrol would lead to shortages of these commodities, while also risking damage to vehicles not designed to handle a 20 per cent ethanol mix, Ramesh said. Without proper testing, vehicles suffer from reduced mileage, he pointed out.
It has now become clear that 25 lakh tonnes of sugar-grade sugarcane were diverted to ethanol production; consequently, in just the last three months, the price of sugar rose from Rs 48 to Rs 67 per kg, and jaggery from Rs 50 to Rs 65 per kg, he said.
Prices of rice and maize flour have also increased by 16 per cent and 11 per cent, respectively, while the cost of animal feed has risen by 10.34 per cent, he added.
“In a hasty move to maximise profits for cronies involved in ethanol production, vehicle owners have seen their fuel choices restricted, yet serious concerns regarding vehicle mileage and compatibility with E20 fuel persist,” Ramesh said.
It is astonishing that despite a drop in international crude oil prices and the cost savings achieved by blending 20 per cent ethanol, there has been no reduction in petrol prices, the Congress general secretary said.
Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, has been consistently highlighting the corruption surrounding the E20 policy, he said.
On August 19, the Congress Working Committee expressed its concern regarding issues such as reduced mileage, risks to vehicle compatibility, limited consumer choices, and environmental damage caused by the E20 policy, Ramesh pointed out.
The public is paying the price “through both expensive food and costly travel for the “flawed decisions of the arrogant Modi government”, Ramesh said.
“We demand an immediate review of the E20 policy and insist that the public be provided with non-ethanol fuel options. An anti-people fuel policy that makes both vehicle operation and kitchen expenses costly is unacceptable to the country,” he asserted.
Flagging concerns over the rollout of E20 petrol, the Congress Working Committee on Wednesday said issues related to fuel contamination and the environmental costs of diverting sugarcane and maize for ethanol blending remain unresolved and demand urgent attention as well as speedy redressal.
In a resolution passed at the meeting, the CWC reiterated its concern over E20’s lower mileage, compatibility risks and the loss of consumer choice.
“Additionally, concerns over fuel contamination and the environmental costs of diverting sugarcane and maize to fuel that remain unresolved demand urgent attention and speedy redressal,” the resolution said.
The Congress has been raising concerns over the rollout of E20 fuel and attacking the government over the issue.
Stepping up its attack, the party had earlier said the motivations behind the move were clearly not environmental and asserted that a genuinely “green” fuel policy must account for the entire ecological footprint of the fuel it promotes.
The opposition party has alleged the rollout of E20 petrol has deprived middle-class Indians of choice, saddled them with higher fuel bills, and damaged the vehicles they had saved for years to purchase.
The opposition party had claimed ethanol producers were the only beneficiaries of the E20 rollout.
