Overview
- Aaditya Thackeray wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday, July 16, 2026, asking that petrol pumps offer both 100% petrol and E20 so vehicle owners can choose fuel based on compatibility and preference.
- Thackeray said many drivers have reported reduced mileage and poorer performance after the move to higher ethanol blends and noted that the government’s own FAQs acknowledge a 3–5 percent drop in fuel economy for some vehicles.
- He warned that meeting ethanol targets largely by expanding sugarcane cultivation will raise water use in areas already facing shortages and questioned whether that approach is sustainable.
- Thackeray urged full transparency on the ethanol policy, saying there is a public perception that the rules disproportionately benefit certain industry and corporate interests rather than ordinary consumers.
- The request adds political pressure to the Ethanol Blending Programme after the government pushed a mandatory nationwide E20 rollout as a step for energy independence and foreign-exchange savings and there has been no formal central government response reported so far.