India, July 9 -- The Indian Sugar and Bio-Energy Manufacturers Association (ISMA) on Wednesday said recent claims about E20 petrol damaging vehicles, attracting insects, invalidating insurance, or involving the direct mixing of sugarcane juice with fuel were 'misleading and factually incorrect'.

The industry body urged that public discourse on ethanol-blended petrol be guided by scientific evidence, verified data and official clarifications.

The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has said India's Ethanol Blending Programme is scientifically validated, rigorously tested, and continuously monitored, in consultation with oil marketing companies, automakers, fuel testing agencies, and other stakeholders. The government said no incidents ...