00:00Our top story this evening is on the controversy around ethanol blending.
00:05We've seen this, of course, being a topic of conversation for the last many months across the country.
00:10In Karnataka, though, the government says they've conducted an eye-opening expose,
00:15in which they say that E20, what's sold as E20, is actually E31, 31.2% in some cases.
00:24The samples that they've picked up, they say, is what suggests that E20 is actually not E20.
00:30It's a lot more than that.
00:32It's triggered a big storm, including a reaction that's come in from these oil marketing firms
00:37who've refuted all of these allegations.
00:40Joining me on this broadcast today is the Food, Civil, Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister
00:45in the Karnataka government, Mr. Rizwan Arshad.
00:48Mr. Rizwan Arshad, good evening. Thank you for your time.
00:50I know you've been in the eye of the storm, so to say,
00:53because you revealed these revelations that your government has found.
00:58First of all, so just to set the base for this conversation,
01:00take us through how you conducted these particular tests,
01:04where you collected these samples from, what did you find?
01:12Can you hear me, Mr. Arshad?
01:14I can't hear.
01:16Okay, give us a couple of moments.
01:18We're just going to fix that with Rizwan Arshad and get in what really the Karnataka government
01:23has to say about these allegations.
01:25That E30 level blending is taking place even when the fuel is being supplied as E20.
01:31Oil companies in the centre, according to the Karnataka Congress,
01:34are working together to exploit consumers.
01:37Let's take a look at this report and then we'll bring back Mr. Rizwan Arshad.
01:51First of all, once again.
02:01In fact, all the details that are emerging right now,
02:05there is a big political showdown.
02:06But importantly, what I'd also like to highlight here
02:09is that we're seeing in Keralam to a similar step
02:13that is being taken by the government there,
02:14who said that, look, what's happened in Karnataka is concerning.
02:17We are going to conduct a similar such test across the state of Kerala,
02:22which has already kicked off.
02:23And it'll be interesting to see what really emerges there.
02:26While there's been no reaction from the central government,
02:28the Karnataka BJP has already dismissed all of these findings,
02:32calling it a political conspiracy and nothing more.
02:35But as far as these oil companies are concerned,
02:38they've come out to also question the results of this particular test
02:43that's been conducted by the Karnataka government.
02:46And so we see political back and forth that's playing out
02:50and much more than that as well over ethanol blending
02:53and over the findings of the Karnataka government post their survey.
02:56So is E20 actually E20 or is it E31?
03:00Is it E32?
03:02Well, at this point, the Karnataka government says one thing
03:04and the oil companies say quite another,
03:07maintaining that E20, there is absolutely no question
03:10of the ethanol levels being higher than that.
03:16As we get to, in fact, those details,
03:18what we're also breaking down for you is ethanol blending
03:21and how it's been in the heart of a controversy for the last many months.
03:27Why?
03:27Because even as we're speaking about this E20 Rao,
03:30there is a proposal by the central government to push that forward.
03:33They've given the nod just last week for E100 fuel
03:37to also become a reality in the country.
03:39Of course, that is based on also vehicles that are compliant.
03:41But the reason that this has also triggered so much concern among consumers
03:45is that there's been a lot of talk about how vehicles
03:49that are not compliant or okay with having ethanol blended fuel in their vehicles
03:54do see some impact of these ethanol blended fuel being added in.
03:59And so consumers are worried about mileage,
04:02are also worried about wear and tear in their cars.
04:05Yes.
04:06Okay.
