Look closely at the timeline, and the pattern becomes difficult to ignore. India imports more than 85% of its crude oil and accounts for 30% of oil demand growth globally.
On 5 June, India took a major step towards reducing that dependence by launching E85 fuel for flex-fuel vehicles at Rs 20/litre cheaper than normal E20 fuel, along with the launch of flex fuel cars and bikes.
Soon after, a coordinated controversy around ethanol-blended fuels began to dominate the conversation and fearmongering started.
Consider the facts. E15+ has been used on Indian roads for over three years. E19+ for over 2 years. E20 has been available since April 2025. More than 20 crore two-wheelers and over 20 lakh four-wheelers have been running successfully on E20 fuel for nearly two years.
Yet, as India accelerated its journey towards greater energy self-reliance, opposition to ethanol blending suddenly intensified.
It is worth asking: who benefits if India remains dependent on imported crude oil or batteries.
Every litre of ethanol blended into petrol helps reduce crude oil imports, strengthens India's energy security, reduces air pollution, supports domestic farmers, and saves valuable foreign exchange. Greater use of indigenous fuels also makes the country less vulnerable to geopolitical disruptions and global price shocks.
E20 is a widely tested, verified, scientific, internationally proven and completely safe fuel for our vehicles. It is also a completely Atmanirbhar fuel which has made our “Annadatas” into “Urjadatas”.
@PMOIndia@PetroleumMin@PIB_India@MIB_India@ndtv@ndtvindia@NDTVProfit