Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, on Saturday (June 13), announced that India has given full legal recognition to 100 per cent ethanol blend fuel—a move that will allow vehicles to run entirely on ethanol and is expected to drastically reduce the country’s dependence on fossil fuel imports. Gadkari said, “the approval would enable ethanol to emerge as a “viable alternative to petrol,” helping India lower its burden of Rs 22 lakh crore in annual fossil fuel imports”. He was speaking at a press conference marking 12 years of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership.