CII for mandatory blending of biofuels in petrol, diesel

Press Trust Of India / New Delhi August 20, 2008, 17:45 IST CII has asked Government to make mixing of biofuels in petrol and diesel mandatory to cut the country's spiralling oil import bill. "A mandate should be put in place... The policy which proposes five per cent blending of ethanol in petrol is still not stabilised and we need a proper framework to do so," said CII National Committee on Biofuels Chairman Pramod Choudhary. Presently, petrol doped with 5 per cent ethanol extracted from sugarcane was being sold all over the country except in J&K, northeastern states and island territories and the quantity is proposed to be raised to 10 per cent from October. Besides, government had in October 2005 announced a biodiesel policy under which oil companies were to mix five per cent of non-edible oil in diesel, but the companies... [read full story]