New Delhi: The target date for achieving 20% Ethanol blending with petrol has been advanced by five years  from 2030 to 2025, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday. It cut pollution and reduces import dependence.

Speaking at the launch of the Ethanol road map on the occasion of World Environment Day, Ethanol extracted from sugarcane as well as damaged food grains such as wheat and broken rice and agriculture waste is less polluting and its use also provides farmers with an alternate source of income.

PM Modi said in the year 2020, the Government had set a target of reaching 10 % Ethanol blending in petrol 10% of ethanol mixed with 90% of diesel by 2022 and 20% doping by 2030. At present, 8.5% Ethanol is mixed with petrol as against 1to1.5% in 2014. Modi said Ethanol procurement has risen from 38 crore litres to 320 crore litres. In the year 2020 oil companies spent ₹ 21,000 crore on ethanol procurement, he said.

Besides helping the environment, the focus on ethanol is also leaving a positive impact on the lives of farmers, he said. Modi went on to list India’s efforts to protecting climate change, saying renewable energy capacity has risen 250% and India is now among the top five nations with the largest installed capacity.

Economy and ecology can go together. This is the path India has chosen, Modi said. Also, India is now a proponent of climate change resolution and is among the top 10 nations on the Climate Change Performance Index, he said.