After introducing E20 petrol for cars, there is now focus on flex-fuel engines that will be able to operate entirely on ethanol or E100. Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari recently said that ethanol has the potential to boost farmers’ earnings while helping India cut its reliance on imported petroleum, as he pushed for greater use of alternative fuels and cleaner modes of public transport.Gadkari was speaking at an event after inaugurating Madhya Pradesh’s new public bus service along with Chief Minister Mohan Yadav.“Today, the farmer is not only our ‘anna data’ (food provider) but also our ‘urja data’ (energy provider),” Gadkari said.Gadkari said ethanol production had already helped farmers, pointing to the rise in maize prices from about Rs 1,200 per quintal to Rs 2,600 per quintal following the expansion of ethanol production.“This is the meaning of swadeshi, self-reliance and independence,” he said.
Flex-Fuel engines
He said flex-fuel engines that can operate entirely on ethanol were being developed and that vehicles equipped with the technology would be brought in, according to a PTI report.He said the shift towards cleaner fuels could help cut pollution and reduce fuel imports without compromising safety.Also Read | Nitin Gadkari says Rs 61,500 crore, 630-km highway corridor to link Siliguri with Guwahati, Shillong; high-speed between UP & North East in works to cut travel time drasticallyIndia currently imports petroleum worth around Rs 22 lakh crore, Gadkari said, underlining the need to reduce the country’s dependence on imported fuels through greater use of ethanol, electricity, hydrogen and other alternative energy sources.The government is also encouraging the adoption of electric vehicles. Electric tractors have already been introduced, while work is underway on hydrogen-powered vehicles, Gadkari said.“I travel in a hydrogen vehicle. Its name is Mirai, which means future,” he said, adding that hydrogen buses would be rolled out on 10 routes.
Public Transportation push
On public transportation, Gadkari said the newly launched bus service in Madhya Pradesh was intended to offer safer, affordable and accountable transport, particularly for people from poorer sections of society.“Poor people should get facilities. They should get better facilities in AC buses and the ticket fare should be 30 per cent lower than that of diesel buses. This is our dream,” he said.Gadkari said the government wanted to encourage greater use of public transport across India, noting that the transport sector contributed substantially to pollution.Also Read | India loses 6.2 million LPG customers in months, connections drop from 333.9 million to 327.7 million, reversing a decade of growth as Iran war squeezes Gulf supplies and oil firms halt new connectionsHe also outlined measures being taken to improve the safety and quality of buses, including stricter testing standards before vehicles are registered.According to Gadkari, buses would be designed to make public transport easier to access for persons with disabilities and senior citizens, including features that would facilitate boarding.He also said the government was encouraging the scrapping of older vehicles and expanding the network of vehicle scrapping and testing centres.Gadkari said 32 driving centres had been established in Madhya Pradesh to help overcome the shortage of trained drivers.The minister also spoke about the scope for turning waste into fuel. He said Nagpur was currently producing 28 tonnes of CNG every day from waste, while around 4,000 similar projects were being taken up across the country.According to Gadkari, these initiatives could provide farmers with an additional source of income while also helping lower imports and pollution.He said the Centre’s PM e-Bus Sewa scheme provided for the deployment of 10,000 buses at an estimated outlay of Rs 57,000 crore and was expected to create between 45 lakh and 55 lakh jobs. So far, 972 buses had been sanctioned under the scheme, he added.Gadkari said India currently had only about two buses for every 1,000 people, whereas the requirement was around eight buses per 1,000 people. This gap, he said, showed the scale of expansion needed in public transport.The government was aiming to support the manufacture of two lakh buses over three years as part of its broader objective of making India a global leader in the automobile industry, the minister said.He added that India’s automobile sector had moved from seventh place globally to third after overtaking Japan.Gadkari said the transport sector was responsible for around 40% of the country’s air pollution and said he had taken responsibility for tackling the issue.He also pointed to changes made to motor vehicle rules in 2019 that allowed owners of private vehicles to use them as taxis, saying the move had opened up employment opportunities.“These small decisions have created four crore jobs,” he said, adding that four crore drivers had secured employment, including 1.2 crore through cars, 55 lakh through autorickshaws and 2.5 crore through two-wheelers.Gadkari said the provision had so far been adopted in only three states. If it were implemented across all states, he said, it could create as many as 12 crore employment opportunities.“Providing employment to the unemployed is the most important task in the country today. If all states implement this, 12 crore employment opportunities will be created,” he said.
