New Delhi: Union petroleum and natural gas minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Tuesday (October 27) that the Union government has no immediate plan to increase ethanol blending in petrol beyond the current 20%. Speaking at the opening of 29th Energy Technology and Innovation meet in South Goa, Puri alleged that false information was being circulated about the biofuels. Further, he said that misinformation about E20 was a “contrived narrative,” MillenniumPost reported.Answering a question on E20, he said, “In so far as biofuels are concerned, yes, the 20% (of ethanol blending) was the target, and there is no desire, just now, to increase by more than 20%.” He mentioned compliant vehicles are built to run on E20 blended fuel. “There was some problem with older vehicles which were manufactured before 2003,” the minister said.Also read: ‘Problem Isn’t Our Work, It’s the Fuel’: Mechanics Complain of Clogged Injectors, Corroded Fuel Lines Due to E20Puri said that introduction of E20 petrol has helped the Union government save Rs 1,60,000 crore, of which Rs 1,40,000 crore went back to farmers. “The farmers have become Urjadata (energy giver) from Annadata (giver of food),” he remarked.When questioned about the issues with E20. Puri said,“ I think there was a problem with the transportation of the blended fuel. The tankers which were used for transportation were also used for other things.”He added,“As far as the engine damage story is concerned, someone had made the claim and the particular automobile manufacturer has filed a case against him.” “Six crore vehicles go to the dispensing stations every day. If engine damage was caused, you could have seen the vehicles all over the place.”Meanwhile, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) on Monday (October 26) notified a key change in the Central Motor Vehicle Rules, allowing flex-fuel vehicles to run on up to E100 or nearly pure ethanol.Also read: E-20 Explainer: What Are India’s Vehicles Drinking?Ahead of the original 2030 target, India came within touching distance of 20% ethanol blending in petrol in November 2024 to October 2025 (1.5% in 2013-14 to 19.2% in 2024-25) under the Union government’s National Policy on Biofuels (NBP) 2018.Just months after E20 became available across the country, a survey conducted by LocalCircles covering more than 37,000 vehicle owners across 331 districts in August 2025 found that nearly two out of every three owners of pre-2022 vehicles reported a decline in fuel efficiency, while 28% said they had noticed unusual wear and tear in engines, fuel tanks, carburettors and fuel lines.Another survey on May 2026, covering more than 50,000 respondents found that half of owners of old vehicles continued to experience reduced fuel efficiency, with one in four reporting mileage losses exceeding 20%.