Pune: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday defended the Centre’s ethanol blending programme, saying criticism of the E20 policy was not supported by sufficient evidence, PTI reported.
Speaking in Kolhapur, Fadnavis said automobile manufacturers had invited consumers to provide evidence of vehicle problems allegedly linked to ethanol-blended petrol, but no such evidence had emerged so far.
He said the expansion of ethanol production had opened new opportunities for sugar mills and that government measures would help improve resource utilisation and reduce waste in the sugar industry.
Fadnavis’s remarks came amid political criticism of the government’s E20 policy, under which petrol is blended with up to 20% ethanol.
AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal has alleged that the government imposed the E20 policy without adequately upgrading infrastructure or ensuring compatibility of older vehicles with higher ethanol blends.
The Centre has rejected such concerns, saying extensive testing and large-scale field experience have found no evidence that E20 petrol causes abnormal engine wear, corrosion or reduced vehicle life, PTI reported.
