The Keralam government has ordered tests on petrol samples from four districts following allegations in Karnataka that oil marketing companies (OMCs) were selling fuel with ethanol content exceeding the prescribed 20 per cent limit, The News Minute reported on Monday.
Food and Civil Supplies Minister Anoop Jacob has directed officials to collect samples from petrol outlets in Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam, Kozhikode and Kannur. The samples will be tested at laboratories accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) in the respective districts. Officials have also said forensic laboratories are equipped to conduct the tests.
Jacob said the decision followed discussions with Chief Minister VD Satheesan. He added that Keralam had not received any complaints of excessive ethanol blending so far, but allegations emerging from Karnataka had prompted the state to conduct preventive checks. The minister warned of strict action if tests establish that petrol contains more than the permitted 20 per cent ethanol.
The inspections follow a controversy in Karnataka, where the state government alleged that petrol sold at several retail outlets contained ethanol above the prescribed E20 limit.
Karnataka Food and Civil Supplies Minister Rizwan Arshad said tests on 63 samples collected from seven districts found that nearly four out of five samples exceeded the 20 per cent limit. The highest ethanol content recorded was 31.2 per cent. The samples were collected from outlets selling fuel supplied by Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL), Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPCL), Nayara Energy, Shell and Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited.
Centre rejects Karnataka’s findings
In a statement on November 7, the ministry said all 893 E20 petrol samples tested across 27 states and Union Territories were within the prescribed ethanol content range of 19-21 per cent. Of these, 56 samples were from Karnataka, and all were found compliant with the Bureau of Indian Standards’ IS 17021 specifications, recording ethanol content between 19 and 20 per cent, with an average of 19.3 per cent.
The ministry also questioned the sampling and testing methodology adopted by Karnataka during its October 2026 exercise. It said the certificates cited by the state did not specify the applicable standard test method, dilution procedure or reference material used to establish ethanol content. The ministry said these omissions made it difficult to independently validate the reported readings of 26-31 per cent against prescribed testing standards.
The central government has defended the ethanol-blended petrol programme, which allows blending of up to 20 per cent ethanol with petrol. It has cited the programme’s potential to reduce dependence on imported crude oil, strengthen domestic agricultural value chains and improve energy security.
Union Minister of State for Petroleum Suresh Gopi has said states are free to test fuel but cautioned against politicising the issue. He maintained that the decision to permit E20 blending was based on scientific studies.
