National
Parliamentary committee raises concern over Ethanol Blending Programme
New Delhi, March 21 (IANS) Raising an alarm over slow ethanol procurement for blending with the petrol, a parliamentary committee has flagged loopholes in the government’s Ethanol Blending Programme (EBP).
The EBP, under Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, aims at blending ethanol with petrol, thereby bringing it under the category of biofuels and saving millions of dollars by cutting fuel imports. Savings due to blending of ethanol for the ethanol supply for the year 2015-16 was around $353 million.
In 2016, the government had fixed the target of blending 10 per cent ethanol, however, later shifted the target to 2022.
The blend was, however, only 2.07 per cent in 2016-17 and 3.5 per cent during 2015-16, noted the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Petroleum and Natural Gas.
The committee has now asked the government to make all efforts to intensify the procurement of ethanol, with molasses.
“Ethanol Blended Petrol Programme is being implemented by the Ministry or Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs). During the year 2015-16, the actual quantity procured by the OMC’s was 111 crore litres achieving 3.5 per cent blending.
“However, during 2016-17, the total procurement was only 66.5 crore litres, achieving the blending of 2.07 per cent,” the 31-member committee said in its 23rd report.
The government attributed low procurement to drought situation in Karnataka and Maharashtra, the sugarcane producing states.
However, the ethanol trading companies believe that ethanol blended mandate has lost its significance in India over last few years.
“The ministry and public-sector OMCs have put all their focus on untested and expensive second-generation ethanol, while not providing sufficient impetus for achieving the blending rate through the cheaper first-generation ethanol,” said S.K. Tapuriah, CEO, Avron Chemicals Pvt Ltd, a domestic ethanol trading company.
The Parliamentary committee further pointed out that for the year 2017-18, tenders have been issued for 313 crore litres of Ethanol and so far 3.28 crore litre have been procured.
The government has informed the committee that OMCs are likely to procure close to 140 crore litres in 2018.
“The Committee recommend that the Ministry should make all efforts to intensify the procurement of Ethanol for EBP programme and achieve increasing blending percentage which also help in diversifying energy sources,” it said.
For 2016-17, the government had fixed the price of ethanol at Rs 39 per litre, the current price is Rs 43 per litre.
The committee also asked the Ministry and OMCs to “seriously look at establishing Second Generation Ethanol Plants”, to diversify its sources and improve the blending percentage in the country.
Earlier in December 2016, total six memorandum of understandings were signed for establishing six second-generation ethanol plants, at an expenditure between Rs 800 to 1,000 crore. One of the primary source of second-generation ethanol is stubble or crop residue, experts say.
Additional Rs 10,000 crore will be spent for establishing 12 second-generation ethanol plants.
India is the third largest consumer of energy in the world after China and the US. Currently, the country is dependent on imports for about 82.1 per cent of its crude oil requirement and to the extent of about 44.4 per cent in case of natural gas.
–IANS
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Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.
The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.
Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.
Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.
For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.
During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.
Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.
Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .
Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.
In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.
In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.
He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.
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