ETHANOL IN PETROL UPTO 10 PER CENT MANDATORY

New Delhi, 30 December

NEW DELH, January 31 (INFA): The Ministry for Petroleum and Natural Gas has now finally decided to make 10 per cent ethanol doping in petrol mandatory with effect from June 2007.

This mixture has been found feasible by experts without affecting the quality of the gas.  At present doping of five per cent of ethanol is mandatory.

Permitting 10 per cent of ethanol blending with petrol throughout the country can lead to a reduction of over Rs.2,200 crore in foreign exchange in India’s import bill during the current fiscal.

According to a paper brought out by the industry’s body, Assocham, currently only 5 per cent of blending is allowed and that, too, in nine States.

This was insufficient to help curtail the oil import bill as the Government had been deferring a decision to raise the present ceiling of 5 per cent blending.

In India, ethanol is primarily made from molasses, a bi-product of sugar production from sugarcane. The sugar industry in India is the second largest processing industry after cotton textiles.

There are more than 450 factories with installed capacity of more than 20 million tonnes of sugar.  But in other countries it is also prepared from sugarbeet, corn, food grains, etc. ---INFA

GESTURE TO JOBLESS IN ANDHRA

HYDERABAD, December 31 (INFA): The Tax Return Preparers Scheme, launched to help the jobless youth in the State has evoked good response in Andhra Pradesh.

Under the Scheme, educated unemployed youth will be recruited to assist small and medium tax payers prepare and file their income tax returns.

More than 4000 youth have so far applied for employment under the Scheme being implemented by the State Government.

The Scheme, it may be added, is being launched on a pilot basis this year. ---INFA