Gujarat's 16% urban, 80% rural households use firewood for cooking, much higher than all-India average

A new Government of India report has revealed that, despite huge claims of rise in livelihood standards over the last one decade, the use of firewood and chips as the chief source of cooking is higher in Gujarat compared to most of India. In Gujarat, 79.7 per cent of rural and 15.9 per cent of urban households use firewood and chips as against the all-India average of 67.3 per cent and 14 per cent respectively.
The figures in a National Sample Survey Organization survey show that, in Gujarat’s rural areas, 13.9 per cent of households use LPG for cooking, as against the all-India average of 15 per cent. As for the urban households, Gujarat’s 62 per cent households use LPG for cooking, as against the all-India average of 68.4 per cent.
The rural areas of states which have higher dependence on LPG – considered environmentally safe and a symbol of using “better” cooking techniques – than Gujarat are Andhra Pradesh (28.9 per cent), Assam (17.2 per cent), Haryana (26.7 per cent), Karnataka (14.17 per cent), Kerala (30.8 per cent), Maharashtra (23.1 per cent), Punjab (30.9 per cent), and Tamil Nadu (37.2 per cent).

As for the urban areas, the data suggest, the states with a higher use of LPG for cooking are Andhra Pradesh (77.3 per cent), Assam (71 per cent), Haryana (86.5 per cent), Karnataka (64 per cent), Madhya Pradesh (65 per cent), Maharashtra (74.5 per cent), Punjab (75.4 per cent), Rajasthan (71.6 per cent), Tamil Nadu (70.9 per cent), Uttar Pradesh (66.8 per cent).
The data are considered significant, as they come with increasing realization among experts that firewood and chips are a major source of greenhouse gas emission in India. They lead to the release of black carbon, which lead to severe air pollution, and are also a root cause of cardiovascular and respiratory related deaths. Official documents advise the use of LPG or improved biogas cooking as an urgent alternative.
Wood smoke is said to contain "fine particulate matter, carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, sulfur dioxide and various irritant gases such as nitrogen oxides that can scar the lungs". It also contains "chemicals known or suspected to be carcinogens, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and dioxin", say experts, pointing towards how it interferes with normal lung development in infants and children.

A further breakup reveals that the dependence on firewood and chips for cooking is particularly high (92.6 per cent) among rural Gujarat’s tribal households, who make up 15 per cent of the state’s population. This is against the all-India average of 87 per cent.
As for Gujarat’s urban areas, where tribals make up large number of the migrant population involved in different types of construction activities, a whopping 29.5 per cent of the tribal households use firewood and chips for cooking, as against the all-India average of 23.9 per cent.
The situation with other sections of the vulnerable population of Gujarat is almost similar. In Gujarat, 77.7 per cent of the rural scheduled caste (SC) households and 14.5 per cent of urban SC households use firewood and chips for cooking, as against the all-India average of 69.8 per cent and 23 per cent, respectively.

As for the OBCs, Gujarat’s 82.7 per cent of rural and 31.9 per cent of urban households use firewood and chips for cooking, as against the all-India average of 66.4 per cent and 17.7 per cent respectively. Conversely, a lesser per cent of economically weaker sections use LPG in Gujarat.
Thus, the data, for instance, show that just about 0.3 per cent of the agricultural workers use LPG as fuel, as against the all-India average of 4.6 per cent. The states with even lesser per cent of agricultural workers using LPG are just four -- Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Uttarkhand and West Bengal.

Comments

A sector under siege? War and real estate: Navigating uncertainty in India's expanding market

I was a little surprised when I received an email alert from a top real estate consultant, Anarock Group , titled "Exploring War’s Effects on Indian Real Estate—When Conflict Meets Concrete," authored by its regional director and head of research, Dr. Prashant Thakur. I had thought that the business would wholeheartedly support what is considered a strong response to the dastardly terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Operation Sindoor.

Environmental concern? Global NGO leads campaign urging banks to cut ties with Odisha steel project

A decade after the withdrawal of the South Korean multinational POSCO from Odisha following large-scale protests, questions remain about whether India-based JSW Steel, which took over the project, can successfully revive the 13.2 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) steel plant and coal-fired power plant. POSCO initiated the project in 2005 but exited in 2017 due to sustained local opposition.

Beyond Indus water treaty suspension: A 'nationalist' push despite harsh climate realities

The suspension of the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) appears to have pushed the middle classes, at least in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state, Gujarat, further towards what the powers-that-be would consider—a "positive" direction. As usual, during my morning walk, I tried talking with a neighbour about what impact it would have. Ignoring what is widely considered a "security lapse," this person, who had just returned after buying milk, compared the Modi move with Trump.

Ahmedabad's civic chaos: Drainage woes, waterlogging, and the illusion of Olympic dreams

In response to my blog on overflowing gutter lines at several spots in Ahmedabad's Vejalpur, a heavily populated area, a close acquaintance informed me that it's not just the middle-class housing societies that are affected by the nuisance. Preeti Das, who lives in a posh locality in what is fashionably called the SoBo area, tells me, "Things are worse in our society, Applewood."

Tracking a lost link: Soviet-era legacy of Gujarati translator Atul Sawani

The other day, I received a message from a well-known activist, Raju Dipti, who runs an NGO called Jeevan Teerth in Koba village, near Gujarat’s capital, Gandhinagar. He was seeking the contact information of Atul Sawani, a translator of Russian books—mainly political and economic—into Gujarati for Progress Publishers during the Soviet era. He wanted to collect and hand over scanned soft copies, or if possible, hard copies, of Soviet books translated into Gujarati to Arvind Gupta, who currently lives in Pune and is undertaking the herculean task of collecting and making public soft copies of Soviet books that are no longer available in the market, both in English and Indian languages.

A conman, a demolition man: How 'prominent' scribes are defending Pritish Nandy

How to defend Pritish Nandy? That’s the big question some of his so-called fans seem to ponder, especially amidst sharp criticism of his alleged insensitivity during his journalistic career. One such incident involved the theft and publication of the birth certificate of Masaba Gupta, daughter of actor Neena Gupta, in the Illustrated Weekly of India, which Nandy was editing at the time. He reportedly did this to uncover the identity of Masaba’s father.

Despite Hindutva hold claim, 18% Hindus in US don't want to be identified with Hinduism!

Scanning through news items on the Google News app on my mobile — which is what I do almost every morning — I came across a story published on India.com, which I found somewhat misleading. The headline said, "Muslim population drops significantly in THIS country as over 25% Muslims leave Islam due to…, the country is…"

Adani Group a key player in Indo-Israel defence cooperation: Tel Aviv daily

Said to be one of the most influential Israeli dailies, "Haaretz" (literally: News of the Land) has identified the Adani Group—known to be close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi—as one of the key Indian business houses engaged in defence cooperation with Israel. Pointing out that India supplied the Israeli military with Hermes 900 drones, the daily reported that this advanced aerial vehicle came off “the production line in a factory set up in Hyderabad, as part of the cooperation between the Israeli Elbit and India's Adani Group.”

Gujarat slips in India Justice Report 2025: From model state to mid-table performer

Overall ranking in IJR reports The latest India Justice Report (IJR), prepared by legal experts with the backing of several civil society organisations and aimed at ranking the capacity of states to deliver justice, has found Gujarat—considered by India's rulers as a model state for others to follow—slipping to the 11th position from fourth in 2022.

Search This Blog