India, March 23 -- Listing out measures that have helped India during the energy crisis caused by the ongoing war in West Asia, PM Narendra Modi specifically mentioned E20 petrol. He drew the link that because of 20% ethanol blending in petrol, India has had to import less oil.

For oil, India is dependent largely on the Gulf region, which has been engulfed by the ever-widening war triggered by the US-Israeli attack on Iran on February 28. "In this time of crisis, another preparation of the country is proving very useful: in the last 10-11 years, unprecedented work has been done on ethanol production and blending" the PM told the Lower House of Parliament in a speech that lasted about 20 minutes.

"A decade ago, the country had a capacity...