Petrol Will Be Sold At Rs 15 Per Litre – Nitin Gadkari

The union minister of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, shocked the country when he said that petrol can be made available at the rate of Rs 15 per litre. This statement was made by Nitin Gadkari while addressing the public in Rajasthan on Wednesday.

“All the vehicles will now run on ethanol produced by farmers. If an average of 60% ethanol and 40% electricity is taken then petrol will be available at the rate of Rs 15 per litre” said Nitin Gadkari.

He also said that people will highly benefit at this price point, and pollution and import (fossil fuel) will be reduced. “The import is of Rs 16 Lakh Crores, this money will go to the homes of farmers instead” He added.

Along with this statement, Nitin Gadkari also added that his government’s mindset is to make farmers not only “annadata” (food providers) but also “urjadata” (energy providers) as well. Which hinted at sugarcane production improvement to support ethanol production.

That being said, sugarcane is a water-intensive crop and has been known to dry up the land. Furthermore, Niti Ayog’s report claims that a litre of ethanol produced from sugarcane consumes at least 2,860 litres of water.

As such, the government should also be thinking about alternative ways to produce ethanol without relying on such water-intensive methods. This is very essential considering the quantity of ethanol required to meet the country’s demands.

Though the newer E20 fuel produces fewer pollutants through the exhaust pipe, this fuel can accelerate wear and tear on older vehicles. This again causes a negative impact on the overall pollution levels once you start factoring in the production of replacement parts for older vehicles.

The petrol prices are at an all-time high in the country. Furthermore, despite the government introducing the newer E20 fuel which consists of a 20% ethanol blend, there hasn’t been any significant reduction in petrol prices. Given that, petrol at Rs 15 per litre seems a bit stretched.