New Delhi: India is aiming to achieve 20 percent ethanol blending in petrol by 2025, advancing the target by 5 years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said today while underlining the importance of balancing development and ecology.
Maintaining that Economy and Ecology can both move forward together, he said India’s renewable energy capacity has increased by over 250 percent in the last 6-7 years.
Addressing an event on the occasion of World Environment Day, he said Ethanol has a better impact on the environment as well as the lives of farmers and that it is one of the major priorities of 21st century India.
“The government has resolved to meet the target of 20 percent ethanol blending in petrol by 2025,” the Prime Minister said. Earlier, the resolve was to achieve the target by 2030 which has now been advanced by 5 years.
On the occasion, he also released a Report of the Expert Committee on ‘Road Map for Ethanol Blending in India 2020-2025’.
“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 litres of ethanol were purchased in the country which has now grown to more than 320 crore litres,” the PM said.
A large part of this eight-fold increase in ethanol procurement has benefitted the sugarcane farmers of the country, he added.
Remarking that 21st century India can get energy only from the modern thinking and modern policies of the 21st century, PM said, “The government is continuously taking policy decisions in every field.”
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 said.
“India is a strong proponent of climate justice and is moving ahead with a lofty global vision like the founding of International Solar Alliance for realizing the vision of One Sun, One World, One Grid and the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure initiative,” the PM said.
India has been included in the top 10 countries of the world in the Climate Change Performance Index, he noted and said, “India is also aware of the challenges that are being faced due to climate change and are also working actively.”
“Our capacity for renewable energy has increased by more than 250 per cent in the last 6-7 years,” PM said.
“India is today among the top 5 countries of the world in terms of installed renewable energy capacity. Especially the capacity of solar energy has increased by about 15 times in the last 6 years,” he said.
“The country has also taken historic steps with a soft approach, today the common man of the country has joined and leading the Pro-Environment Campaign like avoiding single-use plastic, beach cleaning or Swachh Bharat,” Modi said.
“The impact of giving more than 37 crores LED bulbs and more than 23 lakh Energy Efficient Fans are not discussed often, ” he said adding that similarly, by providing free gas connections under the Ujjwala scheme, by providing electricity connections under the Saubhagya scheme, to crores of poor, their dependence on wood has greatly reduced.
Apart from reducing pollution, it has also helped a lot in improving the health and strengthening environmental protection. He said India is setting an example to the world that it is not necessary to stop development for protecting the environment, the PM said.
Stressing that Economy and Ecology both can go together and move forward and this is the path India has chosen PM said, “Along with strengthening the economy, our forests have also increased by 15 thousand square kilometres in the last few years.”
The number of Tigers in our country has doubled and the number of leopards has also increased by about 60 per cent in the last few years, he added.
During the event, the PM interacted with a farmer from Pune who shared his experience of organic farming and the use of biofuel in agriculture.
He also launched the ambitious E-100 pilot project in Pune for the production and distribution of ethanol across the country.
