Discuss the economic and environmental rationale behind India's Ethanol Blended Petrol Programme. Examine the concerns associated with feedstock diversion and water use.

Q. Discuss the economic and environmental rationale behind India's Ethanol Blended Petrol Programme. Examine the concerns associated with feedstock diversion and water use. (15 marks, 250-350 words)

Launched in 2003 [3], the Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme achieved 20% blending (E20) in Ethanol Supply Year 2025-26, five years ahead of the original 2030 target [1]. Its logic rests on energy security and decarbonisation, though feedstock and water sustainability now demand scrutiny.

Economic rationale - Import substitution: with crude meeting about 88.5% of consumption, blending has displaced over 310 lakh metric tonnes of crude and saved more than ₹1.90 lakh crore in foreign exchange since ESY 2014-15 [1]. - Farmer incomes: sugarcane, maize and rice growers gained an assured non-food market, earning over ₹1.60 lakh crore additionally [1]. - Rural industrialisation: distillery capacity rose nearly fivefold, from 421 crore litres (2014) to about 2,000 crore litres (2026), drawing investment into agrarian districts [1].

Environmental rationale - Emission avoidance: roughly 930 lakh metric tonnes of CO₂ emissions averted, supporting India's net-zero pathway [1]. - Cleaner combustion: ethanol's high octane (~108.5 RON) lifts E20's effective octane to about 95, improving combustion quality [1]. - Ends the older practice of burning surplus crop residues and molasses waste by monetising them.

Concerns: feedstock diversion - Diverting maize and rice to distilleries creates a food-versus-fuel trade-off, straining feed and PDS supplies [4]. - It incentivises water-intensive sugarcane monoculture in already stressed basins, distorting cropping patterns. - Blending beyond 20% will intensify this unless 2G ethanol from crop residue scales up under PM JI-VAN Yojana [5].

Concerns: water use - Modern distilleries consume 3–5 litres of water per litre of ethanol, over and above the far larger water footprint of cane cultivation [1]. - Zero-liquid-discharge norms and spent-wash management remain enforcement challenges in groundwater-deficit regions.

The programme demonstrably advances energy security, farm incomes and climate goals, but its next phase must be sustainability-calibrated. Prioritising second-generation and damaged-foodgrain feedstock, micro-irrigation in cane belts and strict zero-liquid-discharge compliance would align blending with SDG-7 and SDG-6 alike.

(~325 words)

Sources: 1. Ethanol Blending in India — PIB Factsheet — blending rise to 20%, forex savings, crude substituted, CO₂ avoided, capacity expansion, octane and distillery water-use figures 2. Report of the Expert Committee — Roadmap for Ethanol Blending in India 2020-25, NITI Aayog — advancement of the E20 target and phased vehicle-compliance timeline 3. India's Ethanol Push: A Path to Energy Security — PIB Press Note — launch of the EBP Programme in 2003 4. Response to Concerns on 20% Blending of Ethanol in Petrol and Beyond — PIB — official response on food-versus-fuel and feedstock concerns 5. Government Measures to Increase Ethanol Blending Beyond 20% — PIB — next-phase measures and alternative feedstock push