Mumbai, April 9 Amidst challenges related to cooking gas due to the West Asia conflict, the Indian Federation of Green Energy (IFGE) has urged policymakers to increase reliance on locally available ethanol.
Ethanol, a biofuel derived from sugarcane, can "complement LPG cylinders" by providing a reliable, domestically produced cooking fuel that reduces India's dependence on imported energy, the IFGE said.
Given the current crisis, ethanol-based cookstoves provided by KOKO Networks could be a game-changer, it said, adding that these should be promoted to replace LPG and utilize surplus ethanol in the country.
The stoves are clean, and the two-burner bioethanol systems are designed to replace charcoal and kerosene in Kenya, it said, adding that the system consists of a modern cookstove, a reusable fuel canister, and a network of ATM-style fuel dispensers.
"As a fuel derived from agricultural feedstock, ethanol strengthens farmer incomes and supports rural economic development through expanded biofuel value chains," the federation said in a statement.
Apart from LPG, the statement sought a slew of other interventions from policymakers, including ethanol blending in diesel as well, increasing its proportion to 27 per cent in petrol and giving an impetus to flexi fuel vehicles (FFVs).
"Policy should ensure that consumers are not paying higher taxes on clean technologies like FFVs than conventional Petrol Vehicles. The GST rate should be commensurately lower," the body said.
The government should consider bringing FFVs to lower GST slabs to provide an immediate impetus to the industry in introducing FFVs, it said.
It also sought a reduction in GST on ethanol to 5 per cent from the present 18 per cent for "dispensing at petrol pumps".