Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the E-100 pilot project in Pune to mark the World Environment Day on Saturday. The ambitious project aims to set up a network for production and distribution of ethanol across the nation.
The Prime Minister also released the ‘Report of the Expert Committee on Road Map for ethanol blending in India 2020-2025’, in line with the theme for World Environment Day this year – promotion of biofuels for a better environment.
Speaking on the occasion, Prime Minister Modi said that India has taken another leap by releasing a detailed roadmap for the development of the ethanol sector. He said that ethanol has become one of the major priorities of 21st century India and the focus on ethanol is having a better impact on the environment as well as on the lives of farmers.
“Government has resolved to meet the target of 20 per cent ethanol blending in petrol by 2025. Earlier the resolve was to achieve the target by 2030 which is now preponed by 5 years. Till 2014, on an average, only 1.5 per cent of ethanol could be blended in India which has now reached about 8.5 per cent. In 2013-14, about 38 crore liters of ethanol were purchased in the country which has now grown to more than 320 crore liters. A large part of this eightfold increase in ethanol procurement has benefitted the sugarcane farmers of the country,” PM Modi said.
“A lot of emphasis is being laid on building the necessary infrastructure for the production and purchase of ethanol in the country. Most of the ethanol manufacturing units are mostly concentrated in 4-5 states where sugar production is high but now food grain based distilleries are being established to expand this to the whole country. Modern technology based plants are also being set up in the country to make ethanol from agricultural waste,” he further added.
