Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Noida International Airport in Jewar on Saturday and used the occasion to highlight ethanol blending as a major tool to shield India from rising crude import bills amid turmoil in West Asia. Modi said ethanol blending has spared the country an estimated additional 4.5 crore barrels of crude oil a year — about 700 crore litres — that would otherwise have been imported.
“Farmers’ efforts in this have given a lot of relief to the country at this time of global crisis,” he said, noting that ethanol production has benefited both the nation and growers and helped save roughly Rs 1.5 lakh crore in foreign exchange. Jewar, he added, sits at the gateway to the sugarcane belts of western Uttar Pradesh, where sugarcane feedstock is a key source of ethanol.
Modi recalled progress over the past decade, saying ethanol blending has risen from about 1–1.5% to nearly 20%. India achieved its E20 target — petrol mixed with 20% ethanol — ahead of schedule in 2025, he said, and the All India Distillers’ Association has offered supplies that could exceed 20%. The country’s ethanol sector now has a cumulative production capacity of around 2,000 crore litres, of which over 1,000 crore litres are used for petrol blending.
Addressing energy supply turbulence linked to the US‑Israel war with Iran, Modi said the government had worked to secure fuel supplies so that retail petrol and diesel prices remain protected from global crude spikes. He also cited other measures such as railway electrification, which he said saves about 180 crore litres of diesel annually, and expansion of metro networks.
Modi urged unity in response to the crisis, saying the issue had been discussed in Parliament and in talks with chief ministers. “We are also taking all measures to ensure common people do not face any stress,” he said, and appealed to political leaders to avoid speech that could harm the country during the crisis.
Original Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/pm-modi-backs-ethanol-blending-as-key-to-cutting-crude-imports/articleshow/129872025.cms
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Publish Date: 2026-03-29 02:23:00
