Union Minister Nitin Gadkari urged the use of innovative agricultural methods, stressing that ethanol is the reason the sugar sector has survived.
According to PTI, India’s Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, has emphasized the need for innovative agricultural technology, saying that the sugar business has survived because of the demand for ethanol.
Because of ethanol, we import fossil fuels valued at ₹22 lakh crore. The minister said that sugar is in excess in India and that sugar mills have survived only due to ethanol. “Today, sugarcane growers and sugar mill owners have survived purely because of the arrival of ethanol,” he stated.
According to him, there is a need to introduce technology into the agricultural industry, and there have already been tests in this area.
Regarding farmer suicides, Nitin Gadkari said that “water was the key culprit.”
At a Naam Foundation event in Pune, supported by actors Nana Patekar and Makarand Anaspure, Gadkari also spoke about farmer suicides in Maharashtra’s Vidarbha and Marathwada districts, claiming that these areas’ water shortage was the main cause of these deaths.
Farmers in the Vidarbha and Marathwada areas committed suicide mostly due to water. The farmers would not need to take such drastic measures if there was a plenty of water, he claimed.
According to the story, the minister praised the organization for its efforts to save water and improve the lives of farmers’ children who had committed suicide.
Gadkari faces accusations of “conflict of interest” in the manufacture of ethanol.
According to the article, Gadkari‘s “active lobbying” for ethanol production has brought accusations of conflict of interest from the opposition party Congress, while his two sons are engaged in ethanol-producing enterprises and have “benefited” from government policies.
The BJP, Gadkari‘s party, has denied the charges, claiming that the Congress‘ claims are “nothing in fact.”
Charges from the Congress party followed the Supreme Court‘s decision to dismiss a public interest lawsuit (PIL) contesting the nationwide introduction of 20% ethanol-blended gasoline (EBP-20). According to the PIL, thousands of drivers are being compelled to utilize gasoline that is not intended for their cars.
E20 gasoline‘s effects on cars, such as decreased fuel efficiency and damage to engine components, sparked a discussion on social media, with many people saying that mileage drops by up to 20%.
Gadkari responded to the outrage on social media on September 11 and described it as a “paid effort” to politically damage him. According to him, the stakeholders, including the car sector, have reached a consensus about the E20 (20 percent ethanol-blended gasoline).