Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari said more use of alternate fuels would bring respite from surging petrol prices that are now “agitating” people.
The union minister inaugurated the country’s first commercial Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Facility plant at Nagpur on July 11. During the inauguration, he said that more use of alternate fuels such as LNG, CNG or ethanol would bring respite from increasing petrol price, which is now “agitating” people, reported The Times of India.
The petrol price has reached a historic high in the country. The fuel has crossed the Rs 100-a-litre mark in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Jammu and Kashmir, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Bihar, Punjab, Ladakh, Sikkim, Puducherry and Delhi.
Speaking about the benefits of ethanol as vehicle fuel, Gadkari said its use would help save at least Rs 20 per litre despite its lower calorific value compared to petrol, said the report.
He further pointed that “In our economy, we are spending Rs 8 lakh crores for the import of petrol diesel and petroleum products which is a big challenge.”Inaugurating India’s First LNG Facility Plant, Nagpur https://t.co/kWuqVXQ37z
— Nitin Gadkari (@nitin_gadkari) July 11, 2021
The Minister further said that they have designed a "policy that encourages the development of imports to substitute cost-effective pollution-free and indigenous ethanol, bio CNG, LNG and hydrogen fuels."
The ministry is constantly working on different alternative fuels, he said.
Gadkari also talked about flex engines and said that a “decision will be taken in three months making it mandatory for automobile manufacturers particularly the four-wheelers and two-wheelers make flex engines.”
He further said the cost of the vehicle remains the same whether it is petrol or a flex engine, adding that “several countries like USA, Canada and Brazil already have them.”
Petrol price, which has already crossed Rs 100 in more than half of the country, rose to Rs 107.24 a litre in Mumbai on July 12 with an increase of 27 paise from the previous day price of Rs 106.97. The diesel price, however, decreased by 17 paise and retailed at Rs 97.33 per litre in the financial capital.
In Delhi, the petrol price crossed Rs 101 mark with an increase of 28 paise, while the diesel price decreased by 16 paise. With the latest revision of prices, petrol retailed at Rs 101.23 per litre and diesel at 89.76 per litre in the national capital on the day.