Navneet Gurjar Column | E20 Fuel Impact & Public Silence on Petrol Prices

Navneet Gurjar

E-20 is a petrol which contains 20 percent ethanol and 80 percent petrol. Now only this ethanol mix petrol is available at pumps across the country. Ethanol is actually made from sugarcane, corn and some other agricultural products. The government gives three main reasons behind mixing ethanol in petrol. First, to reduce pollution. Second, to reduce the import of crude oil and third, to increase the income of farmers.

The argument of reducing pollution may be correct, but if the import of crude oil decreases then why did the price of this ethanol mix petrol not decrease? Even the government is admitting that the mileage of vehicles is decreasing with this petrol. Users say that the average price of vehicles is decreasing by about three to seven percent. It is also being said that due to this mixed petrol, the engines of slightly older vehicles may be adversely affected. There is no other option left for such vehicles.

As far as farmers are concerned – which of their sugarcanes is being sold at double the price? They have been selling all their sugarcane for years. That too at the lowest price. Anyway, ethanol is being imported from America in large quantities. If we take the figures of 2024 only, India had imported 67.98 crore liters of ethyl alcohol, of which about 92 percent i.e. 62.29 crore liters came from America only.

The government says that it has not received any complaint against ethanol mix petrol. We who are using it indiscriminately are actually the brinjals on the plate. We don’t have any side. There is no opinion. They are roaming around like bulls in a crusher without raising their heads. Flogging is also being done from behind, but even if you have the courage to say ‘uff’!

Whatever the government does, that is the truth! Whatever the government says is Brahmavakya! Neither any kind of inflation nor any wrong decision makes any difference to us! In fact, we don’t have time to stop and think. The truth is that we have become accustomed to applying tilak after seeing faces. We neither want to talk about the issues nor want to touch them.

Actually, reading is necessary to talk on issues. We had no connection with him. We have become fans of Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp. Here, whatever anyone says, it has become our nature to accept it as truth. We are also taking our children away from books.

Someone said- Gandhiji was like this, we accepted it. Now someone is saying that Gandhi was like that, we have accepted this also. We never wanted to read anything about this great soul who spent his entire life in a loincloth. Couldn’t even read. All this happened about Nehru ji also. Okay, the current era is also great and it is also possible that it has no competition, but was the era of Gandhi-Nehru, the circumstances of those times and making the country stand in those circumstances, and keeping it standing, no small thing? Don’t know why we go into comparisons without education! The overall thing is that we have no concern with anyone. Certainly not on burning issues.

Well, we were talking about E-20. A Union Minister is saying that ethanol has been mixed for years. Then why were the cars not damaged? Must have been mixing for years – two-four percent. Now the full 20 percent has been added. Now whatever the loss is, it will be there. After all, the benefit or harm of things depends only on their quantity! Why not talk about that quantity!

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