Nagpur: Union minister for highways and road transport, Nitin Gadkari, said he has signed the file approving rules for granting legal sanction to 100% ethanol-driven vehicles.“Finally, my dream of ethanol replacing petrol is coming true. I was ridiculed and severely criticised when I talked about ethanol-driven vehicles. When I signed the file at 8pm on Friday, it was a big day for me,” Gadkari told newspersons, while speaking on 12 years of Narendra Modi-led govt on Saturday. The minister said, he also launched a 100% ethanol version of a top automobile company, and other auto firms would follow suit.“Multiple narratives were set against alternative fuel. Now, I hope aircraft too would run on sustainable aviation turbine fuel (ATF) manufactured from biomass, which can be easily procured from farmers. The govt has already declared a Rs 10,000 crore package for stabilizing ATF prices at Rs 115 per litre. This will help freeze rates and shield airlines from further fuel hike,” he said.A champion of e-vehicles, Gadkari said one of his biggest achievements was to introduce mechanised e-rickshaws. On an emotional note, he said “I remember the time when cycle rickshaw pullers struggled to climb steep inclines with passengers. Now, cycle rickshaws have been replaced by e-rickshaws. During summers, workers would carry heavy grain sacks on their backs. Nobody carries loads these days as 1.5 crore workers have been spared the gruelling labour. They all have got e-rickshaws.”
