Modern Energy Cooking Technologies for Rural Households
Mr. Vimal Kumar, MECS India Lead and Co-founder of Finovista, delivered an insightful presentation during the webinar on “Modern Energy Cooking Technologies for Rural Households,” organized by the SAARC Energy Centre, Pakistan. His address focused on the current landscape of clean cooking in India and emphasized the critical role that a supportive policy environment, enhanced consumer awareness, strengthened supply chains, evidence-based approaches, and innovative financing mechanisms can play in facilitating the transition from traditional to modern cooking fuels.
He highlighted India’s shift from biomass and other traditional fuels to cleaner options such as LPG, and now towards modern energy sources like electricity. He spoke on the current Indian power generation and the need to green the grids. He elaborated on the challenges this transition faces and proposed practical solutions. Government initiatives, including the ‘Go Electric’ campaign and the star labelling of induction cookstoves, along with schemes like the ‘Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana,’ were cited as well-conceived plans by the Government of India, fostering a positive trajectory toward cleaner energy adoption.
He detailed India’s roadmap from achieving energy surplus to launching targeted initiatives like the Go Electric campaign, the ETAC reports predicting a 25% transition to modern cooking technologies by 2030, and progressive schemes such as PM Surya Ghar Yojana and Suryoday Yojana. The recent decision by the GST Council to lower taxes on solar-based cooking devices and the inclusion of clean cooking technologies in the carbon credit framework under Article 6.2/6.4 were also underscored as pivotal moves.
In his discussion, He presented a broad array of clean cooking and eCooking devices currently available in India, emphasizing the nation’s significant potential to become a global manufacturing hub for these technologies. He concluded by stressing the importance of adopting the “BET” approach—focusing on Behavioral change, Economic development, and Technological advancement—as key to driving the transition towards clean and sustainable cooking solutions in India.