National Programme on Improved Chulha (NPIC) of the Government of India: an overview

Abstract

The National Programme on Improved Chulha (NPIC) in India was a unique programme aimed at popularising the use of improved cooking devices in rural areas. India's heavy dependence on wood and biomass as domestic fuel is expected to continue even in the present century. However, from April 2002, the Ministry of Non-conventional Energy Sources has discontinued its funding support to NPIC. After its inception in 1984, NPIC underwent several changes in both policy and implementation. The present paper attempts to make a critical appraisal of the programme. NPIC concentrated mainly on development of a variety of efficient stove models, and their promotion and popularisation. The programme revealed the intricacies involved in the apparently simple issue of use of biomass as a household fuel. Two of the important issues that came up in the course of the programme were: (1) the impact of wood and biomass fuels on the health of the rural women and children; and (2) the use of the commercialisation approach as against the subsidy and welfare approach. We also discuss several approaches for potential future programmes in the light of the lessons learnt from NPIC. We hope that future programmes will be aimed at achieving the greater goal of creating a culture of efficient, clean and sustainable utilisation of biomass energy in the rural areas.