Around 340 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year in India, or about 13 per cent of the country’s total greenhouse gas emissions

A recent report from the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) reveals that despite a significant expansion in access to liquified petroleum gas (LPG) facilitated by the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, 41 per cent of the Indian population continues to rely on biomass such as wood and cow dung for cooking. The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas notes that 99.8 per cent of Indians now have LPG coverage. The CSE report, based on the 2019–21 National Family Health Survey, highlights the surprising persistence of biomass usage for cooking despite LPG availability.

If the reported figures hold tcooking practices contribute approximately 340 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually in India, comprising around 13 per cent of the country’s total greenhouse gas emissions. Titled “India’s Transition to E-cooking,” the report emphasizes that the widespread availability of LPG has not ensured a comprehensive shift to clean cooking practices in households benefitting from the government scheme.

Globally, around 2.4 billion people, or a third of the world’s population, still lack access to clean cooking solutions, leading to significant economic, public health and environmental consequences. The report underscores that approximately three million people worldwide, including 0.6 million in India, suffer premature deaths annually due to indoor air pollution, primarily caused by wood-based cooking, as noted in prior research. The findings emphasize the critical need for effective measures to accelerate the transition to cleaner cooking methods.