Govt taking steps to ease crude import cost, focusing on biofuels: Pradhan

The government is taking various measures, including focusing on biofuels, to ease the cost of crude oil import, Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan said on Monday.

He told the Lok Sabha that the government is focusing on biofuels such as first and second generation ethanol, biodiesel and bio-CNG as part of efforts for "import reduction, environmental benefits and increased income to farmers".

Besides, efforts are on for increasing domestic production of oil and gas, capitalising untapped potential in biofuels and other alternative fuels, and implementing measures for refinery process improvements, Pradhan said during the Question Hour.

The Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister also said the government has notified the National Policy on Biofuels 2018, which allows use of damaged foodgrains for production of ethanol for blending with petrol.

"There is also a provision to allow surplus food grains for ethanol production during the surplus phase as decided by the National Biofuel Coordination Committee," Pradhan said.

Multiple sources have to be there for energy, he said, adding the government continues to modulate the effective price of domestic LPG supplies to domestic consumers under the Direct Benefit Transfer of LPG.

"The domestic price of LPG in the country is based on international price of LPG (ie. Saudi contract price) and is not linked to the cost of crude oil," the minister said.