Petrol prices in Delhi would have risen to around Rs 125 per litre during the recent West Asian crisis without ethanol blending, the government said on Friday, claiming the programme helped consumers save nearly Rs 30 per litre by cushioning the impact of the global crude oil price surge. 

According to the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, when the Indian crude basket climbed to around USD 135 per barrel during the crisis, petrol without ethanol blending was projected to retail at about Rs 125 per litre in the national capital.