Many studies have shown that sustainable use of bio-mass for
domestic energy purposes (cooking, heating and light) is a very important part
of finding energy solutions for our country's rural inhabitants, most of whom
use biomass today but over earthern chulhas. Many urban poor use bio-mass as
well. So such chulhas (apart from biogas generators) can play a big role in
improving the health of the rural poor, vastly improving efficiency in use of
the bio-mass (so much less is needed for the same cooking needs) and reduce the
soot effect on monsoons and melting of glaciers.
These chulhas emit much less CO2 by increasing the
efficiency of the burning of the biomass, thus helping with mitigating global
warming. The BJP Govt. has distributed 4 million LPG cylinders and regulators
at a cost of Rs. 1600 each but there are as many suspended connections in the
country (LPG customers who do not order refill even once in 90 days),
indicating that a majority of those who got these free connections are too poor
to pay for refills. In contrast, only about 35000 improved chulhas have been
distributed in the last 4 years !
LPG was always part of the rural energy solution, never the
full solution, but the Govt. was not really focused on helping the rural poor
in this context. It ignored a large study that the Govt. itself funded that had
warned that the rural population by and large did not exhibit affordability for
LPG refills, and that the oil companies did not have a robust distribution
system in rural areas.
Right from the beginning the purpose of the scheme seemed to
be free publicity for Modi at the expense of the oil companies who were forced
to give the cook stoves and LPG filling also on interest free loans as the
beneficiaries were too poor to pay for them.
A recent tender for billboards at petrol pumps and in front
of airports (!) in just three states of india has been put out by indian oil
for nearly 300 crores. Might not the expense on the publicity of modi having
done good to the rural women in all states of india, then reach even a 1000
crores ?! In any case, in what way does advertising on petrol pumps and in
front of airports help the rural poor access the LPG scheme ??! In contrast to
the hundreds of crores spent on the personal publicity of one politician, the
total cost of this programme all over the country is Rs. 8000 crores in all !
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