GS2The Hindu · Current Affairs
Ethanol is new name for ‘profiteering’, says Akhilesh
A Samajwadi Party leader has criticised the Centre’s ethanol-blending policy as favouring selected interests over consumers.
SP
Samachar Pathshala Desk
Published 14 Jul 2026 · 1 min
Key takeaways
- The Centre’s ethanol-blending policy is presented as a measure to reduce pollution and lower India’s crude-oil import bill.
- Akhilesh Yadav has alleged that ethanol has become a new name for profiteering.
- The criticism says the policy benefits a small set of interests, including ethanol makers and oil companies.
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav has criticised the Centre’s ethanol-blending policy, saying ethanol has become a "new name" for profiteering. The issue is relevant for UPSC because ethanol blending sits at the intersection of energy security, pollution control, consumer prices, and policy design.
The UPSC angle
GS2GS3Essay
Ethanol blending as a policy trade-off
UPSC can use ethanol blending to test the balance between energy security, environmental gains, consumer welfare, and interest-group capture in public policy design.
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