Abstract
From 2016 to 2019, the Indian Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) distributed over 80 million liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) stoves, making it the largest clean cooking program ever. Yet, evidence shows widespread continued use of the traditional chulha, negating the potential health benefits of LPG. Here we use semi-structured interviews with female and male adults to understand the drivers of LPG usage in Mulbagal, Karnataka, the site of a proto-PMUY program. We find that respondents perceive the main value of LPG to be saving time, rather than better health. We also find that norms of low female power in the household, in addition to costs, delay saving for and ordering LPG cylinder refills. Namely, female cooks controlled neither the money nor the mobile phone required to order a timely refill. These factors together contribute to the ‘refill gap’: the period of non-use between refilling cylinders, which may range from days to even months. Our work reveals how gender norms can amplify affordability challenges in low-income households.
Highlights
Accepted Manuscript is “the version of the article accepted for publication including all changes made as a result of the peer review process, and which may include the addition to the article by IOP Publishing of a header, an article ID, a cover sheet and/or an ‘Accepted
We find that respondents perceive the main value of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) to be saving time, rather than better health
We find that norms of low female power in the household, in addition to costs, delay saving for and ordering LPG cylinder refills
Summary
Of the 2.8 billion people who eat meals cooked on smoky, open biomass fires every day, up to 700 million live in India [1]. In 2015, under the Smokeless Villages program, distributors offered all households without an LPG stove a new cylinder and stove with an interest-free loan. This analysis allowed us to understand the frequency and importance of codes amongst individuals and groups In addition to these household interviews, we conducted supplemental interviews with five LPG distributors and several Indian Oil Company (IOCL) officials. These key informants discussed the motivation and evolution of the Smokeless Village program, the delivery challenges facing distributors, and refill rates for customers These interviews were used to interpret responses in our core dataset by providing additional context with respect to the history and distribution of ce LPG in the region. The findings from these discussions were consistent with findings from the semi-structured interviews
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