The West Asia conflict has already had far-reaching consequences. Human suffering in and around the war zone apart, many countries are facing food and energy crises.
In India, small businesses and ordinary citizens have started experiencing the downside of the war. A number of restaurants and roadside eateries have shut down, what with LPG cylinders being sold at three to five times the rate in the black market.
Many migrant labourers and domestic workers are heading back home to their villages, believing their fellow villagers will provide them with food and there will be no dearth of alternative fuels such as firewood. For many of them, the free cylinders distributed under PM-UJWALA Yojana awaits them, but how long they will last is the issue. Besides, the refilling cost of gas cylinders is not affordable for many.
Over the last six years, India’s combined LPG and LNG import bill has increased by about 50 per cent; it accounted for around 3 per cent of India’s total import bill in FY25. About 60 per cent of the LPG India consumes is imported, and about 90 per cent of this comes through the Strait of Hormuz, which is in the throes of the current geopolitical crisis. While the government is trying to increase its domestic production by 25 per cent, it appears a tall order.
The government has been pushing for electric-based cooking since the past few years through the Go Electric campaign or the National Efficient Cooking Programme.
However, the uptake has been low, with only 5 per cent of Indian households opting for e-cooking. Now is the opportune time to endorse and champion the shift, as e-cooking is a cleaner, safer and more affordable choice that could be leveraged from the energy basket. The framework is already there, and all that is now required is synchronisation of efforts and create a robust ecosystem for its market penetration and wider adoption.
Necessity to build synergies
The PM Surya Ghar scheme, launched in February 2024, aims to install rooftop solar in one crore households. It provides subsidies covering up to 40 per cent of the cost of solar panels, enabling households to generate their own electricity for e-cooking needs.
Currently, there’s high inter-State disparity in the adoption of the scheme. Also, while the registration rates are high the conversion figures are low. This needs to be addressed, and more urban and rural households need to be roped into the scheme.
Similarly, rooftop solar installation must be integrated into the PM POSHAN Yojana, the world’s largest school feeding programme that serves hot cooked meals to approximately 11.8 crore in around 11.2 lakh schools.
This holds huge potential in helping the country achieve the revised NDC (Nationally Determined Contribution) target of 60 per cent cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel-based energy resources by 2035.
Another large-scale government scheme is the PM AWAS Yojana, aimed at providing ‘Housing for All’. Over 2.82 crore rural houses have been completed under PMAY-G and around 95.51 lakh urban houses under PMAY-U. PMAY-U 2.0 was launched recently, targeting an additional one crore beneficiaries, while the rural programme aims for 4.95 crore houses by 2029. If this scheme is linked to the ongoing PM Surya Ghar scheme, it will create a holistic mechanism for renewable energy integration into houses at subsidised rates.
The path ahead
Convergence of existing government schemes would be a smarter way forward in nudging people towards adopting a cleaner, greener lifestyle apart from contributing to helping India achieve its NDC targets. Focus on distributed renewable energy (DRE) will ensure that there is energy access, by reaching out to the most vulnerable. The adoption of e-cooking could lead to an increase in peak power demand by 27GW, according to BEE.
However, battery-supported and solar hybrid systems can make e-cooking feasible and ensure grid stability. A strong policy push and incentives can help deal with high upfront cost, facilitating wider adoption.
Mitra is a Senior Fellow, and Apoorva is a Research Associate, at The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), New Delhi
Published on April 27, 2026