New Delhi, October 4 :

India today adopted the global practice to check petrol and diesel adulteration with kerosene as petroleum minister Murli Deora today unveiled plans of selling ‘marked kerosene’ across the country that can be detected through a simple test right at the petrol station.

Used globally to prevent adulteration of transport fuels with kerosene, which costs far less than petrol or diesel, the marker (special permanent dye) will turn pink when tested for adulteration, Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) chairman and managing director S Behuria said at the launch function.

Having tried and failed several times in the past with various other markers, this time the petroleum ministry has selected a British firm Authentix to supply the ingredient.

The marker and testing kits together are expected to cost the oil companies Rs 1.6 billion Indian Currency (IC) over the next six months, said Behuria.

The cost of the marker liquid alone is Rs 1,500 IC per litre. The oil companies will blend 0.5 millilitre of marker in one kilolitre of kerosene.

“This new-generation marker is being used internationally to check fuel adulteration. It will help to ensure that subsidised kerosene, currently being diverted from public distribution system (PDS), reaches the below poverty line (BPL) families,” said Deora.

“Being easy to administer, the marked kerosene will be made available across the country through all retail outlets within two months,” said petroleum secretary M S Srinivasan.

Alongside the introduction of marked kerosene, the petroleum ministry is planning to approach the law ministry to amend the rules making test of fuels for detection of adulteration mandatory. The cost of conducting one test for detection of adulteration is around Rs 60 IC.

“We will be approaching the law ministry for amendment of the Market Discipline and Control Order to make the test mandatory,” said Srinivasan.

He did not expect any drop in import of kerosene due to the check on diversion for adulteration, as currently the supplies to BPL families are way below desired levels.

Of the 10.5 million tonnes of kerosene consumed annually, the government and the oil marketing companies together currently provide around Rs 16 IC to Rs 17 IC subsidy per litre of kerosene sold to BPL families.