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No widespread cases of engine failure or vehicle analysis attributable to ethanol blending have been reported, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Jairam Gadkari told the Lok Sabha.
The information was based on inputs received from the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers. Certain concerns relating to engine performance, mileage and vehicle wear have largely emerged through public commentary and social media discourse, the minister said. E15-plus blended petrol has been in widespread use across the country for more than three-and-a-half years, and E19-E20 fuel for more than two-and-a-half years.
Road accidents and fatalities increased in India in 2025, Gadkari told the Lok Sabha.
The government publishes the report Road Accidents in India based on data received from states and Union Territories. According to the available data, India recorded 513,563 road accidents in 2025, compared with 487,707 in 2024. In 2025, 183,382 people died in road accidents.
Premium-grade petrol sold by public sector oil marketing companies is not blended with ethanol, Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Suresh Gopi told the Lok Sabha.
Premium fuels are niche products sold in limited quantities at a significant price premium because they contain specialised performance-enhancing additives. They are not separate nationwide base fuel streams.
Public sector oil marketing companies have said that premium-grade petrol, including XP100 of Indian Oil Corporation Limited, poWer100 of Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited and Speed100 of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, is not blended with ethanol.
Across the country, oil marketing companies sell ethanol-blended petrol containing up to 20 per cent ethanol by volume under the Ethanol Blended Petrol Programme. Premium fuel sales constitute only 0.5 per cent of total petrol sales.
Four legacy waste dumpsites in the National Capital Region have been remediated so far, Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Kirti Vardhan Singh told the Rajya Sabha.
Under the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2026, sanitary landfilling means the final and safe disposal of residual solid waste and inert waste on land in a facility designed with protective measures against pollution of groundwater and surface water, fugitive dust, wind-blown litter, bad odour, fire hazards, animal and bird menace, pests or rodents, greenhouse gas emissions, persistent organic pollutants, slope instability and erosion.
According to the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, seven legacy waste dumpsites have been identified for remediation in Delhi-NCR. These include three dumpsites in Delhi and one each in Gurugram, Noida, Greater Noida and Ghaziabad.
Common effluent treatment plants in Ludhiana were found non-compliant with prescribed discharge standards and disposal conditions, Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Kirti Vardhan Singh told the Rajya Sabha.
The National Green Tribunal is hearing issues related to pollution in Buddha Nullah in Ludhiana in Original Application No 225/2022 and connected matters. In its order dated January 13, 2026, the tribunal directed the Punjab Pollution Control Board to impose and collect environmental compensation from industries and dyeing units that fail to comply with pollution norms.
The Central Pollution Control Board inspected four common effluent treatment plants in Ludhiana on April 22-23, 2024, and December 24-25, 2024. These were the 50 million litres per day plant, the 40 million litres per day plant, the 15 million litres per day plant at Bahadur Ke Road and the 500 kilolitres per day plant for electroplating industries.
The inspections found the plants non-compliant with prescribed discharge standards and the disposal conditions specified in the environmental clearances granted by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
Parliament enacted the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India Act, 2025, to support the government’s Nuclear Energy Mission and achieve a target of 100 gigawatts by 2047, Union Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions and the Prime Minister’s Office Jitendra Singh told the Rajya Sabha.
The Act enables wider participation by both the public and private sectors. During the past 10 years, 13 reactors with a total capacity of 10,600 megawatts have been at various stages of construction or commissioning. Of these, four reactors with a total capacity of 3,100 megawatts have commenced commercial operation.
The disease pattern around uranium mining operations could not be ascribed to radiation exposure, Union Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions and the Prime Minister’s Office Jitendra Singh told the Rajya Sabha.
A health survey was conducted by Uranium Corporation of India Ltd in villages surrounding its establishments in Jharkhand in the recent past. The survey covered several villages and medically examined a large number of residents.
The health issues observed among villagers were typical in nature and similar to those generally found in rural areas with comparable socioeconomic conditions. The major finding of past studies was that the disease pattern around uranium mining operations could not be attributed to radiation exposure.
