Indian ministry vs Nepal news outlet on ‘rejection’ of E20 petrol by Balen govt 05.07.2026

India's Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG) has issued a formal fact-check rejecting reports from the Bhutanese news outlet 'The Bhutanese' claiming that Bhutan declined an offer to import E20 petrol from India. While the newspaper reported that the Bhutanese government requested regular petrol due to infrastructure concerns regarding ethanol's hygroscopic nature, the MoPNG asserted that no such offer or proposal was ever made by Indian Oil Marketing Companies. The controversy has intensified political scrutiny in India, with the Congress party using the reports to criticize the government's ethanol blending programme. Meanwhile, the Bhutanese editor defended the reporting, citing a written response from Bhutan's Department of Trade regarding fuel quality and storage challenges. This dispute occurs amidst broader domestic debates in India regarding E20 petrol's impact on vehicle maintenance and engine performance.

















