893 samples of E20 petrol tested from across the country, says govt; Rejects Karnataka government's claims, Rahul says E20 became 420

The central government and state-owned oil companies have rejected the Karnataka government's claims that E20 petrol contains more ethanol than the prescribed limit. According to the petroleum ministry, 893 samples taken from 27 states and union territories of the country were tested. All the samples were found to be in the prescribed range of 19 to 21 per cent. The average ethanol content of 56 samples from Karnataka was recorded at 19.30%. The ministry refuted the Karnataka government's claims that the ethanol content was 26-31%. The oil companies questioned the state's inspection process, saying the inspection was not carried out as per the prescribed norms. The companies said that ethanol is heavier than petrol, while the density of the samples tested was less. A day earlier, Rahul had posted on 'X', saying, "E20 has now become 420, petrol is being stolen from public vehicles." According to Rahul, the Karnataka government took 14 samples of petrol from seven districts and tested them in an accredited lab. Of these, ethanol content was found to be more than 20%. Rahul said, "Consumers have no choice, 3 things... Three oil companies question the investigation process The Karnataka government department claimed that the amount of ethanol in the petrol sold at some petrol pumps in the state was between 26% and 31%. In this regard, Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum said that the E20 petrol supplied across the country, including Karnataka, is as per the IS 17021 standard set by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). This standard has been fixed for ethanol blended petrol. The companies also questioned the process of sampling taken in October. He said that the Government Order of 2005 and the Marketing Discipline Guidelines of 2024 have laid down the rules for sampling, preservation, testing and reporting. How much ethanol was found in which company's petrol? Laboratory tests revealed that the ethanol content in petrol of all major oil companies was much higher than the 20% limit. Samples from 7 districts including Bengaluru Urban found the highest ethanol content of 31.2% in IOCL's petrol. In its other samples, 20.8% ethanol was found. Similarly, 30.5% ethanol was found in HPCL's power petrol and 27% in general petrol. BPCL's Speed Petrol found 26.5% and other samples 24.2% and 22.6% ethanol. In addition, ethanol was recorded up to 26.1% in Naira Petrol, 25.5% in Shell Petrol and 19.2% in MRPL Petrol. Loss of ₹1 lakh crore to vehicle owners Karnataka Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister Rizwan Arshad said that the central government should clarify to the people of the country how much ethanol-enriched fuel is actually being given to them. According to the Karnataka government's data... Loss due to reduced mileage: If the mileage is reduced by 10% due to excess ethanol in petrol, then vehicle owners across the country will lose Rs 62,000 crore annually. Additional maintenance cost: There will be an additional financial burden of Rs 39,000 crore due to engine failure and frequent servicing. ---------------- also read this news... Excise duty waiver on ethanol blended petrol: Mixing 22% to 30% will not attract tax, govt prepares to reduce crude oil import The central government will not impose any excise duty on ethanol-blended petrol ranging from 22% to 30%. No concession has been given on E20, i.e. 20% Ethanol Blended Petrol. The Central Government has taken this step to reduce the import of crude oil, i.e. crude oil, in the country and to promote clean energy. Read the full news...