K’taka govt demands mandatory display of Ethanol blend at fuel pumps under ‘Mission Nikhara’
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government has demanded that all fuel stations across the country be mandated to display the ethanol blending percentage in petrol, allowing consumers to make informed choices, following laboratory tests that allegedly found ethanol content exceeding 20 per cent in samples collected from various fuel outlets in the state.
Launching a strong push under “Mission Nikhara” to ensure fuel quality and accurate measurement, Food, Civil Supplies, Consumer Affairs and Legal Metrology Minister Rizwan Arshad on Friday said the state would continue testing petrol samples and take action against malpractices.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, he said the Legal Metrology Department had conducted inspections under the direction of Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar. Samples were collected from Bengaluru, Kolar, Chikkaballapura, Bengaluru Rural, Ramanagara, Mangaluru and Tumakuru.
According to laboratory reports from NABL-accredited and ISO-certified facilities, IOCL petrol contained 31.2 per cent ethanol, while HPCL’s MS-Power had 30.5 per cent. HPCL petrol recorded 27 per cent, BPCL’s MS-Speed 26.5 per cent, Nayara petrol 26.1 per cent and Shell petrol 25.5 per cent.
Arshad said the samples were initially sent to the in-house laboratories of IOCL and BPCL, but the reports did not disclose ethanol content despite it being a prescribed testing parameter. He questioned the transparency of oil marketing companies and said consumers had the right to know the composition of the fuel they purchased.
The minister demanded that the Union Ministers for Road Transport and Highways and Petroleum and Natural Gas publicly clarify the actual ethanol blend supplied to consumers.
He also sought action against oil marketing companies supplying petrol with ethanol content above 20 per cent and compensation for consumers whose vehicles had suffered damage, through a time-bound claims process with damage certified by authorised service centres.
He warned that higher ethanol blends could reduce mileage and damage vehicle components such as filters, fuel pumps, injectors, hoses and seals. He claimed that nearly 99 per cent of India’s estimated 35 crore vehicles were not designed for blends above E20, adding that even vehicles sold after April 2023 were certified only for E20.
Arshad estimated that a 10 per cent mileage loss, based on annual fuel consumption of 6,200 crore litres and a petrol price of Rs 100 per litre, could impose an additional burden of Rs 62,000 crore on consumers annually. Another Rs 39,000 crore could be incurred in vehicle repairs, taking the estimated burden to Rs 1.01 lakh crore.
He said the Centre’s argument that ethanol blending helped save foreign exchange had not translated into benefits for consumers. He cited combined profits of Rs 77,821 crore reported by IOCL, BPCL and HPCL in 2025-26.
Under Mission Nikhara, the state would continue inspections and testing across Karnataka. Arshad said the government would use its powers under the Motor Spirit and High Speed Diesel (Regulation of Supply and Distribution and Prevention of Malpractices) Order, 2005, to act against irregularities and ensure quality and accurate measurement of every litre of fuel sold.
