Concerns about the Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) programme refuse to die down in Andhra Pradesh, with scientists and farmers saying water resources are depleting and emissions from factories are polluting the air, water, and soil.
Buoyed by the encouraging results of the Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) programme, which was introduced in India as a pilot project in 2001, the Central government in 2020 decided to advance the target of 20% ethanol blending in petrol from 2030 to 2025 as the way towards a greener future. The EBP programme was said to be the way of addressing multiple concerns — of growing energy consumption, oil imports, and increasing carbon emissions from vehicles. Under the EBP, ethanol is made using grains, such as broken rice and corn, and is therefore said to double farmers’ income as well.
