The Centre on Tuesday told the Supreme Court that India’s ethanol blending programme remains an “ongoing experiment” and that its full impact is expected to become clearer next year.
The submission was made by Attorney General R. Venkataramani during a hearing concerning the allocation of ethanol supplies. Appearing on behalf of the Union government, the Attorney General informed the court that the ethanol blending initiative is still evolving and that authorities require additional time to comprehensively assess its outcomes.
He said the government expects to have a clearer understanding of the programme’s overall impact by next year as implementation progresses and more operational data becomes available. The observations came during proceedings related to ethanol supply allocation, an issue that has attracted attention amid India’s broader push to increase the use of biofuels in the energy sector.
The Supreme Court heard submissions from the Centre regarding the current status of the ethanol blending programme, while the government maintained that the initiative is being implemented in phases and continues to be evaluated.
The Attorney General’s remarks indicate that the government considers the programme to be under continuous assessment rather than a completed policy exercise. India has been expanding ethanol blending in petrol as part of efforts to reduce dependence on imported crude oil, support domestic biofuel production and diversify energy sources. The ethanol blending programme has also been promoted to encourage the use of renewable fuels and strengthen energy security.
However, Tuesday’s proceedings focused on the legal issues surrounding ethanol supply allocation rather than the broader policy objectives of the blending programme.
The Supreme Court did not pronounce any final ruling on the policy during the hearing. The matter remains under judicial consideration as the court continues to hear submissions from the concerned parties. The Centre reiterated that the effects of the ethanol blending initiative should be assessed over a longer period before drawing definitive conclusions about its effectiveness. Further hearings in the matter are expected as the Supreme Court examines issues related to ethanol allocation and implementation.
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