Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Saturday urged the country to cut its dependence on petrol, diesel, and gas, pitching electric mobility and ethanol-powered vehicles as cleaner, cost-effective alternatives.
Speaking at the 19th Rozgar Mela in Nagpur, Gadkari said the government had already introduced electric scooters, cars, buses, trucks, and tractors as part of a wider push toward sustainable transportation. He noted that Indian farmers were increasingly becoming energy and fuel providers through biofuel production, Fortune India reported.
The minister highlighted ethanol-powered vehicles as a particularly strong alternative, pointing to the vehicle he arrived in at the event as a live demonstration. He said the vehicle ran entirely on bioethanol, with ethanol priced at around Rs 65 per litre, and added that it generated 60 per cent of its own electricity while in motion. According to Gadkari, the effective running cost of such a vehicle works out to approximately Rs 25 per litre, compared to conventional fuel costs.
He described ethanol as an import substitute that is cost-effective, pollution-free, and indigenous. The minister also said flex-fuel vehicles capable of running fully on ethanol would soon be rolled out at scale across India.
On the occasion of the upcoming Environment Day, Gadkari said Maruti Suzuki was expected to launch ethanol-powered vehicles at an event in Delhi. He added that major automobile manufacturers — including Toyota, Tata Motors, Mahindra and Mahindra, and Maruti Suzuki — had already introduced flex-fuel vehicles, with around 12 companies participating in the segment so far.
Gadkari underlined the urgency of reducing fossil fuel consumption, noting that 87 per cent of India’s petrol, diesel, and gas requirements are met through imports. “They not only cause pollution but also increase imports,” he said.
The remarks were made on the sidelines of the 19th edition of the Rozgar Mela, at which Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually distributed more than 51,000 appointment letters to newly recruited central government employees across ministries including Railways, Home Affairs, and Health. The event was held simultaneously at 47 locations across the country. Since the initiative was launched in 2022, nearly 12 lakh appointment letters have been distributed through successive editions of the programme, which aims to accelerate public sector recruitment and encourage youth participation in nation-building.
