‘Sensationalism over governance’: Union Minister Pralhad Joshi over Karnataka’s ethanol blending claims
Union Minister Pralhad Joshi has dismissed claims by the Karnataka government that petrol in the state contains ethanol levels as high as 31%. Joshi cited official testing data from Oil Marketing Companies to argue that all samples remain within the mandated 19-21% range.
Why it matters
The dispute highlights a significant political and regulatory friction between state and central governments regarding fuel quality standards and consumer safety.
Bengaluru Amid the controversy over reported higher ethanol blending in petrol samples collected in Karnataka, Union Minister for Food Public Distribution and Consumer Affairs Prahlad Joshi on Tuesday (November 10, 2026) claimed that all 893 samples tested across 27 States and Union Territories complied with the prescribed 19–21% range. Lab tests show ethanol blend in E20 petrol as high as 31% in Karnataka storyline 1 Pralhad Joshi accuses Karnataka government of burdening people with price hikes storyline 1 “More importantly, all 56 samples tested in Karnataka by the OMCs were compliant, recording 19–20%, with an average of 19.30%,” he claimed on social media platform X.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in