‘People’s anger on e20 petrol is over’:Gadkari says, they were paid money to make ‘khub haala’ on ethanol

Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday said the rage over blending 20 per cent ethanol in petrol fuel was a “paid campaign.” The remark came a day after the government notified changes to the Central Motor Vehicles Rules 1989, allowing flex-fuel vehicles that can run on up to E100 (nearly pure ethanol). Addressing an event organised by industry body CII, Gadkari further said India can save precious foreign exchange by reducing imports of fossil fuels. Three months ago, huge noise (khub haala)) was made against the E20 (20 per cent ethanol-blended petrol) fuel; now rage against E20 fuel is over…It was a paid campaign. -Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari The minister also said that taking note of complaints on social media about the poor condition of some highway stretches, he reviewed 700-800 projects recently. “I am not going to compromise on the quality of the highways,” he said.
Gadkari assured that in the next two years, highway users won’t face any inconvenience. On Tuesday, the central government issued rules for flex-fuel vehicles (E100) that run on 100% ethanol in the country. It approved E100 fuel by amending the Central Motor Vehicles Rules. The decision came just before some car companies were set to launch their E100 cars in the market. According to an official statement, the latest changes to the Motor Vehicles Rules have included E100 fuel alongside E85 fuel in the emission provisions. Officials clarified that E85 and E100 fuels can only be used in special vehicles specifically designed and certified for them. They cannot be used in regular vehicles. What is E100 fuel? E100 means 100% pure ethanol fuel. Ethanol is a biofuel produced mainly from plants and biological sources such as sugarcane and maize. Who should use it? E85 and E100 are meant only for new vehicles that are specifically designed and certified for them by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). They cannot be used in older or standard E20 vehicles.