Saar: One of those includes the reduction in crude oil imports, which accounts for a whopping Rs 7 lakh crore annually.
Did you know that 70 per cent of the crude oil that India consumes annually is imported? Some of you might have known that. But did you know that the import of crude oil accounts for a whopping Rs 7 lakh crore per year? That is a quite a figure and if it can be brought down, India’s currency would become stronger, than what it is right now, in the international market. That is one of the many positives that union minister, Nitin Gadkari, highlighted if India makes use of more alternative fuels.
Gadkari pointed out that using alternative fuels, such as ethanol, methanol and electricity, will not only be cheaper to produce but also eco-friendlier in nature. To support his claim, he said that the raw material of producing alternate fuel is already available in the country and can be sourced, in large quantities, from the agricultural sector. Fuel produced from those sources, along with the 30 per cent of crude oil which is domestically generated, can be used to power vehicles of all shapes and sizes in the country.
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He further added that ethanol is received from sugar mills. Currently, only 5 per cent of that is mixed with petrol. But that figure, he said, can go up to 22 per cent only if India produced enough of it. More ethanol mixed with petrol will reduce the per litre fuel cost for the end consumer and for the government. Additionally, ethanol also helps in reducing harmful emissions from vehicles. Gadkari said that after processing one tonne of sugarcane, about 4 per cent ethanol is procured.
The union minister said that ethanol can also be produced by processing cotton straws, rice, bagasse, bamboo and municipal waste. One of the major sources of air pollution is the burning of straws by farmers. But if that waste can be used to produce a fuel and get farmers extra income, the air pollution problem be tackled effectively.
The other alternative fuel that Gadkari wants to use more of is methanol, which can be obtained from coal. He said that we can sell methanol at Rs 22 per litre, which is Rs 9 per litre more than what it sells in China. He further added that while producing methanol, dimethyl ether (DME) is produced as a side product. That can be mixed with liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) as a cooking fuel, resulting in the reduction of per cylinder cost by Rs 50 to Rs 60.
There is no getting away from the fact that ethanol and methanol produce less harmful emissions when used as fuels. Gadkari is encouraging the manufacturers in India to invest more in technology for alternative fuels as supporting policies from the government are already in place.
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