India, Aug. 1 -- The use of E20 petrol resulted in savings of nearly Rs.30 per litre for consumers at the height of the global crude oil crisis, the petroleum ministry said in an official release issued on Friday.

It also said that petrol prices in Delhi could have risen to Rs.125 per litre if oil marketing companies had not mixed ethanol with petrol when global crude oil prices climbed to nearly US$135 per barrel.

The clarification from the petroleum ministry comes as the Centre introduced the use of E20 petrol, which contains 20 per cent ethanol and 80 per cent petrol, a move that has faced criticism from opposition parties and consumer groups.

The government said the use of E20 petrol not only helped prevent a steeper increase in re...