Transport minister Nitin Gadkari has said that in order to curb pollution levels in metropolitan cities, he will issue a policy on flexible fuel engines by January 26. This move will help absorb extra ethanol supplies in the country and reduce pollution while providing a new market for the sugar sector. He also said that he will seek to convince the petroleum industry about the merits of biofuel.
Gadkari said that ‘We are working on a policy on flexi-fuel vehicles, which can run entirely on ethanol, but also have the option for petrol. I've told my officials to expedite work on this so that I can announce this before January 26.’ He further said that not much research or study is required to finalise the policy as countries like the US and Brazil are already implementing.
The minister has asked Germany's biggest car maker, Volkswagen, to make flexi-fuel vehicles for India. Emphasizing the need to boost ethanol production in the country to meet demand once the flexi-fuel system is in place, Gadkari said that its proportion in blended petrol should rise to 22% from the current 10%.
So far, there is less than 5 per cent ethanol blending with petrol in the country. In order to increase ethanol blending to the 100 per cent level, sugar mills need to raise production capacity from the current level. Stressing on the need to convert all mills towards ethanol production, Gadkari said that at present, 130 out of 500 sugar mills are manufacturing ethanol in India.
MoneyWorks4Me is a SEBI-registered Investment Adviser (IA) dedicated to helping investors build long-term wealth through transparent, research-driven, conflict-free guidance. Founded in 2008, we started our journey as a Research Analyst (RA), providing deep fundamental analysis, intrinsic value insights, and long-term investing frameworks for Indian equities. In 2017, we transitioned to a full-fledged SEBI-registered Investment Adviser, strengthening our commitment to acting as a fiduciary—always putting the investor’s interest first.
To become India’s most trusted, research-powered fiduciary advisory platform—where every investor, regardless of experience, can make calm, confident, and well-reasoned investment decisions.
MoneyWorks4Me ensures this through: