E20 Ethanol Blending and the Consumer | UPSC GS-3 | UPSCPDF
UPSCPDF Editorial Analysis: E20 mandate, RON 95, maize vs sugarcane feedstock, 2G ethanol, consumer equity. UPSC GS-3 guide with MCQs, Mains, Essay, Interview.
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Energy security and farm incomes on one side; pump prices, mileage and groundwater on the other. Decoding the E20 mandate, the quiet shift from sugarcane to maize, and why the next blend has been put on hold. From 1 April 2026, every litre of petrol sold in India must be E20 — 20% ethanol, 80% petrol — at a Research Octane Number of at least 95. India hit 20% blending in ESY 2025–26, five years ahead of the target set in the National Policy on Biofuels, 2018. The achievement is real: blending rose from 1.53% in 2013–14, procurement from 38 to 904 crore litres, and reported forex savings exceed ₹1.40 lakh crore. But so is the critique. Ethanol is bought at an administered price; below roughly $70 a barrel of crude, that price exceeds the cost of the petrol it displaces. The gap is paid at the pump — by consumers on average poorer than the producers being supported, who also lose 3–7% mileage in older vehicles. Two developments sharpen it. In June 2026 the Supreme Court ord
⏱ Reading time: ~28 min
