A range of ethanol blends: Minister stands by his claim, calls for independent fuel testing

Minister for Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Rizwan Arshad said on Monday that he stands by the test reports on the blending of ethanol into petrol that he released on 6 November.

Speaking to the media on Monday, Mr. Arshad said, “We stand by our test reports as the tests were conducted as per the prescribed procedure in laboratories recognized by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL), which is the constituent committee of the Quality Council of India (QCI).

Failed to reply

He added: “As an elected government, I was waiting for an official response from the Union government, while they got the oil companies to respond to us. I examined their statement on our E20 findings. The OMC release is more about technical issues, but they failed to answer how much ethanol is in the petrol at our pumps.”

On November 6, the minister released the test reports of 63 petrol samples collected from petrol tanks across Karnataka. Out of 63 samples, samples from Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL), Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) showed ethanol adulteration levels above 20% at 31.2%, 30.5% and 24.2% respectively.

He criticized the oil companies for saying that the samples were not tested according to the prescribed procedure and that the laboratories used for the testing were not those specified in the regulation.

“The initial 63 samples were first handed over to OMC’s own labs at IOCL, BPCL and HPCL for testing. None of their test reports indicated the percentage of ethanol. IS 17021:2018, the standard cited by OMCs themselves, clearly lays down the procedures for testing ethanol content. Yet not a single OMC report provided this number. It was not that the labs needed any reason from OMC. State tests were discredited for this to be protected consumers, the samples were then sent to NABL accredited and ISO certified laboratories,” he said.

Interest from car manufacturers

Highlighting the concerns raised by vehicle manufacturers, he said, “On July 28, 2026, the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) wrote to the Union Ministry of Petroleum, flagging the chloride and sulfur in E20 fuel and the damage it caused to vehicle components. Within a week, under pressure from the Centre, the letter was withdrawn. ACKO insurance company told the customer that damage to the engine, Hyundai and other cars would not be covered under ‘misuse’ insurance in their manuals that using any fuel other than E10 would void the warranty.”

The minister also noted that a report on the same subject by the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) remains hidden from the public. He added that the attorney general had told the Supreme Court that E20 was still an experiment, but later issued a clarification.

He said the Karnataka government cannot be silenced and will not back down like industry bodies, companies and other individuals who, he claimed, have been silenced or may back down due to pressure.

Mr. Arshad also expressed his opposition to the Union Government’s call for joint control of E20 petrol blending. He said: “When I wrote to the Union government a few months ago asking for inspection and testing, they did not respond. Now that the test reports are out, they are asking for a joint inspection. What is the point of doing an inspection after the system is set up properly?”

Quality monitoring

Responding to OMC’s statement that the problem exists only in samples taken from specific petrol pumps and not elsewhere, the minister said: “OMC’s own statement says that ethanol blending is a ‘controlled and automated process’ carried out at their refineries and depots. If so, the blend in each liter of petrol is decided at the six OMC terminals that serve the Karnataka tank and there is no role for just the dealer at the petrol station. The excess ethanol detected is a failure at the source and the responsibility lies solely with the OMC.”

He claimed that by conducting this exercise and exposing these loopholes in the OMC systems, the Karnataka government has created a sense of deterrence across the country.

“Take fuel testing out of OMC’s hands”

Stating that his department wants to hold a meeting with the OMC, he said, “The purpose of the meeting is to inform them about the conduct of regular tests of petrol samples by the state government. But they cannot be tested in the OMC labs. They have to be tested in third-party labs because when the OMCs test the samples in their own labs, they will give them reports as per their clear interest. This is a case of conflict or it will convince them of their interest. It has escalated.”

Later in the day, while sharing a clip of Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy’s press conference, Mr. Arshad said he had hinted at the central government’s plans to increase ethanol blending in petrol from 20% to 30%. He shared a clip in which Mr Kumaraswamy can be heard saying: “Over the last three to four months, I have seen the central government planning to increase ethanol blending from 20% to 30%. Mr Arshad asked: ‘Was this part of a bigger plan to unofficially blend it?’

Published – 9 Nov 2026 20:17 IST