No messing with vehicles health! Ministry of Petroleum said – E20 petrol of government companies is completely safe.

The government on Saturday defended the 20 per cent ethanol-blended petrol programme, saying that 893 samples of petrol taken from 27 states and Union Territories, including 56 samples from Karnataka, were tested and found to comply with prescribed quality standards. Along with this, state-owned oil companies have challenged the Karnataka government’s claim of excess ethanol in fuel sold at some petrol pumps in the state. The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas said in a statement that Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPCL) found that ethanol content in all 893 samples was within the range of 19-21 percent as determined under Bureau of India standard 17021 (Bureau of India specification).

56 samples had ethanol content of 19-20 percent.

The ministry said that 56 samples from Karnataka, covering various locations and all three oil marketing companies (OMCs), recorded ethanol content of 19-20 per cent, with an average of 19.30 per cent. These findings contradict a recent statement issued by Karnataka’s food, civil supplies, consumer affairs and legal metrology department, which claimed that petrol samples collected from some retail outlets in the state contained 26-31 percent ethanol. Three OMCs have raised questions over the sample collection and testing procedures adopted in the Karnataka exercise in October 2026. The companies argued that the results could not be independently confirmed without following prescribed statutory procedures and disclosing the technical details of the tests.

Many questions were raised

The controversy comes at a time when India’s nationwide E20 program, launched to reduce dependence on imported crude oil and reduce emissions, is under scrutiny over concerns about vehicle mileage, engine compatibility and potential costs to consumers. The OMC said the samples collected during the September drive were sent to company laboratories designated by the state-level coordinator, but the subsequent October exercise was conducted without their representatives.

The companies said they have not received complete details or laboratory reports based on samples, retail outlets. The companies also questioned certificates issued by third-party laboratories, saying they did not specify the standard test method, dilution procedure or reference material used to quantify ethanol by gas chromatography.