“My husband thinks ethanol corrodes car engines—but that’s just a myth,” RJ Shonali tells her 2.5 lakh Instagram followers in a 50 seconds reel. What begins as playful banter about her partner's environmental concerns quickly morphs into something more calculated: a polished defense of India's ambitious Ethanol Blending Programme.
This isn't just one creator's casual opinion. Across Instagram, a coordinated campaign is quietly unfolding, where influencers with millions of followers have become unlikely champions of government fuel policy. From radio jockeys to lifestyle bloggers, content creators are enthusiastically promoting E20—the 20% ethanol-petrol blend that India aims to roll out nationwide by 2025.
The messaging by influencers is upbeat, skipping the real anxieties of consumers and expert opinions.
RJ Naved, with 9.2 million followers and more than 26,000 likes on his reel, assures viewers that ethanol means lower emissions, more farmer income, and reduced imports. His pitch is patriotic and personal: ethanol means lower emissions, better farmer incomes, and reduced oil imports. "All of us are contributing towards the country's growth,” he says.
Nikita Gupta, who runs the handle The Culture Gully, starts with trivia about India’s most congested traffic cities before pivoting to climate concerns. When she addresses the elephant in the room—corrosion fears—her response is technically reassuring: ethanol may absorb moisture, but modern fuel systems are sealed against contamination.
The pattern is repeated by the creators. Taruk Kumar Kedia, boasting 6.25 lakh followers, frames ethanol as a "long-term smart move" against unpredictable global oil prices. Alankar Gupta, with 4 lakh followers, strikes a more provocative approach: “Your salary is funding another country’s economy?”
The implication is clear: If you choose ethanol, you choose patriotism.
Other creators with significant followings—Saloni Khanna, Nishant Chahar, and RJ Pihu, all crossing 200K—also repeat the claim that ethanol doesn’t harm engines and can be used in older vehicles too.
The aesthetic is unmistakable: sleek graphics, trending hashtags like #JaivIndhan and #SustainableMobility, and collaboration posts featuring Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
These reels rarely carry the "paid partnership" disclaimer that Instagram requires for sponsored content.
The Policy Behind The Posts
The Ethanol Blending Programme represents one of the government's most ambitious clean fuel initiatives. The math is compelling: currently at 12% ethanol blending (up from just 1.5% in 2014), India aims to hit 20% by 2025. The projected benefits are substantial—saving nearly Rs 1 lakh crore in foreign exchange, boosting farmer incomes by Rs 96,000 crore, and cutting carbon dioxide emissions by over 5.5 crore tonnes.
The plan fits neatly into India's larger climate narrative, supporting the country's commitment to net-zero emissions by 2070. Public sector giants—Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum, and Hindustan Petroleum—are spearheading the rollout, but they're not relying solely on traditional marketing channels.
Instead, they've discovered the power of influence marketing, where creators can make complex policy feel accessible, even trendy.
Using influencers to shape public opinion is becoming routine in India. Last year, Decode highlighted the practice of promoting government propaganda by content creators, often without disclaimers, and how Instagram failed to enforce its own rules. The same tactic is now at play in the ethanol blending campaign, where reels flood timelines with catchy lines but leave out key details.
Influencers used matching visuals in their reels
The Inconvenient Truth That Influencers Are Not Sharing
While influencers frame myth-busting as reassurance in their glossy reels, it tells an incomplete story. Behind the optimistic messaging lie legitimate technical concerns that experts say deserve serious consideration, not dismissive myth-busting.
Rahil Akhtar Usmani, assistant professor at Integral University, Lucknow, explained the science behind the skepticism: ethanol is hygroscopic and acts as a powerful solvent. Over time, it can corrode metals, damage rubber components, and dislodge tank sediments. While newer vehicles with BS6 standards are designed to handle ethanol blends, older cars remain vulnerable—particularly those with rubber hoses, uncoated aluminum parts, and aging seals.
“The damage is not immediate, but prolonged use wears machines out, leading to rust, clogged filters and hard starts,” he said, adding that routine servicing and compatible replacements may reduce but not eliminate risks.
Mileage is another sticking point. Abhishek Jha of UrjanovaC, a climate tech startup, pointed out that ethanol has a lower energy density than petrol, which means blending directly reduces fuel efficiency. “At a 20% blend (E20), mileage typically drops by 6–7%,” he said, citing figures reported in the government’s own ethanol blending roadmap.
The government's public statements focus on comparisons between E10 and E20 vehicles, citing only a 2% efficiency loss. But this conveniently sidesteps the larger population of older, non-compliant vehicles that will experience much steeper mileage drops.
"The distinction between E0 and E20 isn't being communicated clearly," Jha noted, "even though it undermines some of the economic and environmental benefits being promoted."
The Trust Gap
The rollout strategy raises deeper questions about consumer transparency. Jha argued that India should have adopted the global standard of clearly labeled fuel grades, allowing consumers to choose between different ethanol blends based on their vehicle compatibility and preferences. Instead, the current approach appears to be an all-or-nothing transition.
This matters because public trust in fuel quality is already fragile. Many consumers suspect they're not getting accurate quantities or proper fuel grades at pumps. If E20 implementation leads to noticeable mileage drops—a car that previously delivered 100 km per liter suddenly managing only 90—frustrated drivers will likely blame dealers rather than the fuel composition.
"The government needs complete transparency about what blending means for consumers," Jha emphasised. "Without that honesty, suspicion will only deepen, especially in smaller towns where ethanol awareness is minimal."
Ironically, the campaigners of the government messaging are carefully whitewashing the use of ethanol.
Beyond vehicle compatibility lies a more fundamental concern: the trade-off between food and fuel. While the government has outlined plans to use crop residues and waste materials for ethanol production, Usmani warned that implementation details matter enormously.
Experts say a phased rollout with clear labelling and consumer choice would have been better, mirroring global practice. “Right now, that synchronisation is missing, and that’s where challenges will arise,” Jha noted.
“Diverting sugar, maize or rice stocks can pressure food prices and feed availability,” he explained. Instead, he recommended focusing on residues like straw and bagasse, wastes such as municipal solid waste, and non-food energy crops on marginal lands. “The focus should be on speeding up second-generation ethanol with government support, so food security isn’t affected in the long run,” he said.
For now, though, the government campaign strategy is undeniably effective. Combined, these creators reach tens of millions of users, translating complex energy policy into digestible, shareable content. Their personal brands lend credibility to government messaging in ways that official communications often cannot.
But the approach also highlights the tension between marketing and transparency. While influencers excel at building enthusiasm and dispelling fears, they're less equipped to navigate the technical nuances and trade-offs that define responsible policymaking.
