Clean cooking's still not plug and play
India, like many developing nations, has launched clean cooking initiatives. Expanding piped natural gas (PNG) access is one such step, alongside promoting household biogas and Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY), which focuses on LPG connections. Yet, none have been effective in ensuring sustained clean-fuel use or fully replacing biomass. Despite GoI's ambitious push - the operational PNG pipeline network expanded from 15,340 km in 2014 to 24,945 km as of September 2024 - nearly a third of the licensed city gas distribution areas remain unconnected to the grid, hampering adoption. Major roadblocks include lack of last-mile infra and distance between pipeline tap-off points and authorised zones.
To boost uptake, India needs infrastructure investment, streamlined regulation, LPG distribution partnerships, and greater public awareness of clean cooking's health and environmental benefits. Yet, for a country as vast and diverse as India, there's no one-size-fits-all solution. Alongside PNG, biogas and PMUY, electric cooking must be part of the clean energy mix. A subsidy for induction stoves and the PM's endorsement of solar PV e-cookstoves signal that electric cooking could be the next frontier. The path to truly clean kitchens lies not in one technology but in offering flexible, region-specific solutions that make clean cooking a right, not a privilege.
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Time of India
14-07-2025
- Time of India
Judge Not The Jalebi
Times of India's Edit Page team comprises senior journalists with wide-ranging interests who debate and opine on the news and issues of the day. GOI directive on desi deep fried snacks misses the point: aam aadmi needs affordable, healthy options Russians visiting GOI's nine-day Bharat Utsav festivities in Moscow that concluded Sunday were raving about an Indian duo at the stalls – samosa and masala chai. Union health ministry back home may want central govt offices to put up 'oil and sugar boards' as a reminder of samosa's – and jalebi's – adverse impact on health, but the irony is, samosa/jalebi is part of what's often quasi-officially celebrated as India's contribution to global list of munchies. Two points. First, undoubtedly, pakodas, vada pav, laddoos, samosas, jalebis and their ilk are unhealthy foods. But they're free of preservatives and mostly cooked at point of sale. There's exhaustive evidence that consuming ultra-processed, packaged fried snacks high in fat and sugar is driving India's obesity problem. Yet, we still do not have front-of-pack-label regulations for packaged foods. Second, availability and affordability. Per ministry directive, these boards/ posters/cautionary signs will be put up in all canteens or stalls on the premises of central govt institutions. To alter people's consumption of transfat-rich foods, to change people's snacking behaviours, health ministry also needs to provide alternatives in these very places. The onus of eating healthy is not on people alone – what options, healthy and affordable, is the govt canteen serving? Take for instance, the 57 items Western Central Railway lists as available at its stalls. Snacks range from idli-vada-dosa to pakodas (bread/onion/paneer), samosa, cutlets and, of course, aloo bonda. Prices start at Rs 10 (kachori), upto Rs 25 (veg cutlet). The cheapest – and only healthy – snack is a boiled egg, Rs 9. Jalebi is cheaper: Rs 6. For people on the go, grabbing a vada pav is commute culture. Without providing options, cautionary signs may simply push consumers to packaged foods – that can only worsen the obesity health crisis. Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email This piece appeared as an editorial opinion in the print edition of The Times of India.
Economic Times
09-07-2025
- Economic Times
Clean cooking's still not plug and play
If kitchen is the heart of a home, clean cooking is what keeps it healthy. But it's not just about fresh ingredients and spotless utensils - it's also about keeping the air free from smoke and toxins. For many, that's a luxury. In India, around 500 mn people rely on polluting fuels like wood, biomass, dung cakes, crop residue and kerosene, leading to environmental and health issues. India, like many developing nations, has launched clean cooking initiatives. Expanding piped natural gas (PNG) access is one such step, alongside promoting household biogas and Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY), which focuses on LPG connections. Yet, none have been effective in ensuring sustained clean-fuel use or fully replacing biomass. Despite GoI's ambitious push - the operational PNG pipeline network expanded from 15,340 km in 2014 to 24,945 km as of September 2024 - nearly a third of the licensed city gas distribution areas remain unconnected to the grid, hampering adoption. Major roadblocks include lack of last-mile infra and distance between pipeline tap-off points and authorised zones. To boost uptake, India needs infrastructure investment, streamlined regulation, LPG distribution partnerships, and greater public awareness of clean cooking's health and environmental benefits. Yet, for a country as vast and diverse as India, there's no one-size-fits-all solution. Alongside PNG, biogas and PMUY, electric cooking must be part of the clean energy mix. A subsidy for induction stoves and the PM's endorsement of solar PV e-cookstoves signal that electric cooking could be the next frontier. The path to truly clean kitchens lies not in one technology but in offering flexible, region-specific solutions that make clean cooking a right, not a privilege.
Time of India
09-07-2025
- Time of India
Clean cooking's still not plug and play
If kitchen is the heart of a home, clean cooking is what keeps it healthy. But it's not just about fresh ingredients and spotless utensils - it's also about keeping the air free from smoke and toxins. For many, that's a luxury. In India, around 500 mn people rely on polluting fuels like wood, biomass, dung cakes, crop residue and kerosene, leading to environmental and health like many developing nations, has launched clean cooking initiatives. Expanding piped natural gas (PNG) access is one such step, alongside promoting household biogas and Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY), which focuses on LPG connections. Yet, none have been effective in ensuring sustained clean-fuel use or fully replacing biomass. Despite GoI's ambitious push - the operational PNG pipeline network expanded from 15,340 km in 2014 to 24,945 km as of September 2024 - nearly a third of the licensed city gas distribution areas remain unconnected to the grid, hampering adoption. Major roadblocks include lack of last-mile infra and distance between pipeline tap-off points and authorised boost uptake, India needs infrastructure investment, streamlined regulation, LPG distribution partnerships, and greater public awareness of clean cooking's health and environmental benefits. Yet, for a country as vast and diverse as India, there's no one-size-fits-all solution. Alongside PNG, biogas and PMUY, electric cooking must be part of the clean energy mix. A subsidy for induction stoves and the PM's endorsement of solar PV e-cookstoves signal that electric cooking could be the next frontier. The path to truly clean kitchens lies not in one technology but in offering flexible, region-specific solutions that make clean cooking a right, not a privilege.
