October 2
All vehicles in the country should run on 100% ethanol
“Ethanol is a better and cheaper green fuel than petrol. All vehicles in the country should run on 100% ethanol,” stated Union Minister Nitin Gadkari.
Gadkari threw light on the importance of converting sugar into ethanol. He said that ethanol production could save the country’s fuel. There is a need to run vehicles on electricity and ethanol on the lines of Brazil, he stated.
“Our country produced 4.65 billion litres of ethanol last year and we need 16.5 billion litres of ethanol. So the Central Government will take up as much ethanol as is produced,” he said.
“We are importing crude oil and natural gas worth Rs 12 lakh crores in our country. The Government of India has allowed ethanol pumps. So, all sugar mills should start ethanol pumps in their area”, added the Minister.
He added that the country needs 240 lakh tonnes of sugar, while last year 310 lakh tonnes of sugar was produced. This additional sugar of 70 lakh tonnes should be converted into ethanol, said the Minister.
He also said that the Government of India is ready to enter into an Ethanol Purchase Agreement for five years, like the power purchase agreement.
“If ethanol is produced in the near future, imports will come down and farmers will earn Rs 5 lakh crore out of Rs 12 lakh crore being spent for import of crude oil.
Sugarcane will fetch good prices and farmers will no longer remain poor,” he said. The Central Government has given permission to produce ethanol not only from sugarcane but also from rice, maize and other grains, informed the Minister.
Gadkari said, water, electricity, transportation and communication are important aspects for development of the country. In order to eradicate poverty, hunger and unemployment in the country as well as for the welfare of the villagers, poor, labourers and farmers, more employment should be created in these sectors, he added.
Union Road Transport and Highway Minister inaugurated National Highway projects totaling a length of 527 km, worth Rs 4,075 crore at Ahmednagar district in Maharashtra today. Bhumipoojan and dedication of these projects to the nation was held in a programme organized at Kedgaon in Ahmednagar by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).
The dignitaries present on the occasion included Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) Sharad Pawar, MP (Shirdi Lok Sabha Constituency) Sadashiv Lokhande, MP (Ahmednagar Lok Sabha Constituency) Dr. Sujay Vikhe Patil and Rural Development and Labour Minister in the Govt. of Maharashtra and Ahmednagar’s Guardian Minister Hasan Mushrif among others.
