The impact of ethanol on the environment

The Centre relaxed environmental clearance processes and offered subsidies on grain purchases to ease ethanol production. Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Haryana, and Punjab have the highest number of ethanol factories.

Background & EBP Programme Goals

The Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) programme was introduced in 2001 and aims to reduce energy consumption, oil imports, and carbon emissions.
In 2020, the Central government advanced the target of 20% ethanol blending from 2030 to 2025.
Ethanol is made from grains like broken rice and corn, promising to boost farmers’ incomes.

In 2022, India’s total ethanol production capacity was 947 crore litres.
As of 2024, the ethanol blend percentage in petrol was 15%, requiring 1,016 crore litres to meet the 20% target by 2025-26.

Environmental & Health Concerns

Protests have been ongoing in Gummaladoddi, Gandepalli, and Arugolanu villages in Andhra Pradesh since 2024.
Farmers and environmentalists argue ethanol factories pollute air, water, and soil, especially in villages near rivers or canals.
Hazardous emissions like acetaldehyde, formaldehyde, and acrolein are released but are not mentioned in environmental clearances.
Ethanol plants are classified under the ‘red category’ (high pollution) but are still granted exemptions from public hearings.

Water Scarcity Concerns

Ethanol factories consume 8-12 litres of water per litre of ethanol, raising concerns about depleting water resources.
Rivers like Krishna have low water flow for most of the year, forcing factories to rely on groundwater extraction, violating regulations.

Effectiveness vs. Harm

A NITI Aayog report states that 20% ethanol blending reduces carbon monoxide emissions by 30% in four-wheelers and 50% in two-wheelers.
However, scientists argue that the pollution caused during ethanol production outweighs these benefits.
Industrialists claim costly pollution control measures are unaffordable due to rising production and labour expenses.

Call for Balanced Development

Environmentalists urge the government to adopt corrective measures instead of dismissing concerns as “anti-development.”
A greener future should not come at the cost of agriculture, health, and riparian rights of local communities.

A leap backward for maternity entitlements

Despite various cash transfer schemes for women, pregnant women in India are being denied their rightful maternity benefits under NFSA, with reduced payouts and poor implementation under the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) scheme.

Under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) 2013, all pregnant women (except formal sector employees) are entitled to ₹6,000 per child as maternity benefits.
Adjusted for inflation, this amount should be at least ₹12,000 today.
However, the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) violates NFSA by:
- Restricting benefits to only one child per family (recently extended to the second child if it’s a girl).
- Reducing the benefit amount to ₹5,000 instead of ₹6,000.

Many eligible women are not receiving PMMVY benefits due to administrative hurdles.
The Ministry of Women and Child Development does not disclose adequate data on the scheme.
RTI-based estimates show that effective coverage peaked at just 36% in 2019-20 but crashed to 9% in 2023-24.

The central government’s PMMVY expenditure dropped to ₹870 crore in 2023-24, one-third of its 2018-19 levels.
To cover 90% of births at ₹6,000 per child, the required budget is ₹12,000 crore.

Officials admit that PMMVY virtually stopped in 2023-24 due to software and process changes.
The main issue was not fewer applications but failed disbursements due to software glitches.
Aadhaar-based payment systems and digital hurdles have excluded many eligible women.

Tamil Nadu (since 1987) and Odisha (since 2009) have more effective maternity benefit schemes.
Benefit Amounts:
- Odisha: ₹10,000 per child (doubled before the 2024 elections).
- Tamil Nadu: ₹18,000 per child (DMK promised ₹24,000 in 2021).
Coverage Rates (2021-22/2023-24):
- Odisha: 64% of births covered.
- Tamil Nadu: 84% of births covered.
- PMMVY (All-India): Below 10% in 2023-24.

Formal sector women get 26 weeks of paid maternity leave (as per the Maternity Benefits Act 1961, amended in 2017).
Unorganised sector women get just ₹5,000 under PMMVY, and only if they clear multiple bureaucratic hurdles.

PMMVY is a failed programme due to underfunding and administrative hurdles.
The scheme must be revamped to comply with NFSA, increase benefits, and index payments to inflation.

Better maternity benefits would improve women’s health, child nutrition, and overall societal well-being.