Mumbai, July 23 -- India achieved its target of blending 20% ethanol into petrol in March 2025-five years ahead of the 2030 deadline. Now, the government has grown more ambitious: It wants to blend more ethanol into petrol.

But why is India using more ethanol-blended petrol like E20? How does it affect our vehicles? Most importantly, can it reduce the harm caused by fossil fuels? Mint explains:

Primarily, to reduce our import bill and emissions.

In 2003, India started a pilot programme to blend ethanol-a byproduct of sugarcane-into petrol to reduce carbon emissions from the fuel's use. By 2019, the Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme was extended to all of India (except the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep).

The ethanol ...