Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been pushing for the increased use of cleaner fuels in the Indian economy. The Centre has been pushing to increase the share of Ethanol Blended Petrol in India. The policy was established in 2001 and came into effect in 2003. 

Since then, the fledgling programme has been lacklustre. It has since picked up pace. In June 2022, 10 percent ethanol blending was achieved, five months ahead of schedule.  Plans to advance to E20 blend by 2025 are on. Over 1,600 retail outlets already offer 20 per cent ethanol blended fuel. Before 2014, the number was just 1.4 percent blending.

While the government has made strides in increasing ethanol production by diversifying raw materials, challenges persist. 

In this episode of the EnergOnomics podcast, Richa Mishra talks to Aditya Jhunjhunwala, President of Indian Sugar Mills to get his insights on the issues. She also talks to commodities editor Subramani Ra Mancombu to understand what can be done to solve these problems.

Richa Mishra explains in this episode of EnergOnomics to find out why. 

Watch the latest episode of EnergOnomics here