CURRENT AFFAIRS

Detailed explanation-1: -India To Start Supplying Petrol With 20% Ethanol From April 2023. India will start supplying petrol with 20 per cent ethanol at select petrol pumps from April next year and will ramp up supplies thereafter as it looks to cut oil import dependence.

Detailed explanation-2: -Achieving this target early made the government advance by five years the target of 20 per cent ethanol blending to 2025, the Cooperation Minister said. “The production of ethanol is going to change the entire economy of the petroleum sector in the coming days.

Detailed explanation-3: -Officials said 20 per cent ethanol blended petrol will be available at select petrol pumps in the country by April 2023 and it will be progressively spread to other parts of the country. As much as 10.17 per cent of ethanol is being doped in petrol now, up from 8.10 per cent in 2020-21 and 5 per cent in 2019-20.

Detailed explanation-4: -Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri says India will start experimental supplies of 20% ethanol blended petrol next few days. E20 is being rolled out in 11 states/UTs of Delhi, Bihar, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Punjab, Daman Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli.

Detailed explanation-5: -However, due to the coordinated efforts of the Public Sector Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) the target of 10% blending under the programme has been achieved much ahead of the targeted timelines of November, 2022 wherein the Public Sector OMCs have attained an average 10% ethanol blending in petrol across the country.