Gadkari Rejects Claims of Vehicle Damage from Ethanol-Blending Program
Nitin Gadkari, India's Minister of Road Transport and Highways, defended the country's ethanol-blending program at the Bihar Investor Summit 2026.
Gadkari rejected claims that ethanol-mixed petrol damages vehicles, saying about 4 crore four-wheelers and 20 crore two-wheelers have run on ethanol-blended petrol since 2022 without widespread complaints of damage.
The Union minister linked the program to higher farm income, citing corn-based ethanol as an example. He said the use of corn for ethanol generated additional earnings for farmers in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, amounting to up to Rs 45,000 crore.
Gadkari also argued that the ethanol-blending program had created a new market for farm produce and could help agriculture move beyond food output alone.