Dharmendra Pradhan, the Minister of State (I/C) for Petroleum and Natural Gas, formally launched the low-emission and eco-friendly BS-IV grade fuel across India from the city of Bhubaneswar. The event coincided with Utkal Divas (formation day of the state) and was broadcasted live to 12 different locations – Varanasi, Vijayawada, Durgapur, Gorakhpur, Imphal, Bhopal, Ranchi, Madurai, Nagpur, Patna, Guwahati and Shillong. Pradhan stated that the launch “signifies a new era of clean transportation fuels and is aimed at substantially reducing pollution levels everywhere.”
He even complimented oil marketing companies for coming together to set up refining infrastructure and logistics in record time – in time for the BS-IV upgrade. Oil companies are spending close to ₹90,000 crore on phase-wise upgradation of fuel quality in the country. The next step is to usher in BS-VI fuels by April 1, 2020, (skipping the upgrade to BS-V) to be on par with global standards, he said.
