Bhutan rejected India's E20 petrol offer? Know truth behind viral claim

Government issues clarification on viral reports: The Government of India has dismissed claims circulating in sections of the media that Bhutan rejected an offer to import E20 petrol from India, calling the reports incorrect.

In an official fact check issued by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG), the government clarified that no such offer has been made by the country's Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs). It also stated that there is no proposal to export E20 petrol to Bhutan.

No proposal to export E20 petrol to Bhutan

The clarification comes after reports suggested that Bhutan had turned down India's offer to supply E20 petrol. However, the ministry said these claims are baseless, as no proposal to export E20 fuel to Bhutan has been initiated.

"There has been no proposal to export E20 petrol to Bhutan, and therefore no question of Bhutan declining such an offer," the ministry said in its clarification.

Government urges public to rely on official information

The government has advised the public to rely only on official information issued by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and the Oil Marketing Companies, and to avoid believing or sharing unverified reports.

Is E20 fuel damaging vehicles?

On a separate note, a viral social media video claiming that E20 fuel damages vehicles was dismissed by leading automobile manufacturers and industry experts on July 4, who said the problem highlighted in the video was caused by fuel adulteration and not ethanol-blended petrol.

Toyota Kirloskar Motor issued an official statement clarifying that the Toyota Innova Hycross featured in the viral video is fully E20-compliant and has been designed, tested and certified to run on petrol containing up to 20 per cent ethanol.

According to the company, a detailed technical inspection found that the issue was caused by impurities in the fuel. It said there was no damage to any component of the vehicle or its fuel system.

Similar claims surfaced last month

Last month as well, similar claims related to E20 petrol were widely circulated on social media. The Centre once again dismissed the viral claims, calling them misleading, baseless and unsupported by scientific evidence. The clarification came after videos circulated online claiming that ethanol-blended petrol separates into layers and damages vehicle engines, reviving concerns over the fuel's safety.

At that time, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas also urged people not to rely on unverified social media posts and advised them to trust only official information. Oil marketing companies, including Indian Oil and Bharat Petroleum, along with the Press Information Bureau's (PIB) Fact Check unit, also issued statements rejecting the claims.

PIB Fact Check on petrol and diesel price hike

A few months ago, a message claiming a sharp hike in petrol and diesel prices was also doing the rounds on social media. The viral post alleged that petrol prices had been increased by Rs 10 per litre and diesel prices by Rs 12.50 per litre through an order purportedly issued by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.

"An order circulating on social media claims to be issued by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, stating that petrol and diesel prices have been increased by ₹10 and ₹12.50, respectively," PIB Fact Check had posted on X.

The government had clarified at that time as well that the post was fake. Responding to the claim, PIB Fact Check said the document being shared online was not genuine.