“Not Supported By Tests”: Centre Rejects Karnataka’s Excess Ethanol Claim; E20 Row Deepens

“Not supported by tests.”That is the Petroleum Ministry’s response to Karnataka’s claim that petrol sold at some outlets contained far more than the permitted 20 per cent ethanol.The Centre says all 56 samples tested in Karnataka under a nationwide quality-monitoring exercise complied with E20 standards, with ethanol content between 19 and 20 per cent.But Karnataka has cited separate laboratory tests which allegedly found levels as high as 31.2 per cent.Minister Priyank Kharge says the Centre is “experimenting on 1.3 billion people”.Oil companies have questioned Karnataka’s sampling and testing methods.So, which test is right—and what is actually going into your fuel tank?