Ethanol from grains could push blending plan, though ethical issues remain

Move criticised for ignoring large-scale hunger and impeding initiatives to save ground water, though it could also help solve the problem of surplus grain lying with FCI

Last month, the Union Cabinet extended a soft loan scheme for augmenting ethanol manufacturing capacity, which so far was available only for distilleries that used sugarcane as feedstock, to those that used other sources such as broken grains, maize and sorghum as their input.

The innocuous looking move could have a long-standing impact on the way the country’s grain economy has moved so far and if successful could provide an alternative to several problems associated with surplus production, excess withdrawal of ground water, etc.

However, the move has come in for criticism from several quarters on the grounds that when