New Delhi, Apr 22:
Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday said India should aim to achieve 100 per cent ethanol blending for use as auto fuel in the near future, to cut dependence on imported oil, which made the country vulnerable to disruption in energy supplies amid geopolitical uncertainties such as the Iran war.
He pointed out that India relies on imports to meet 87 per cent of its oil requirement. “We import fossil fuels worth Rs 22 lakh crore, which is also causing pollution, so we need to work on increasing production of alternative fuels and bio-fuels,” Gadkari said.
“In the near future, India should aspire to achieve 100 per cent ethanol blending. Today, we are facing an energy crisis due to the war in West Asia, so it is necessary for us to become self-reliant in the energy sector,” he said.