New Delhi: India is drawing up a plan to accelerate the adoption of electric induction cookstoves, with the government considering subsidies, lower customs duties on key components, and upgrades to electricity distribution infrastructure as it seeks to reduce dependence on imported cooking gas, two people aware of the matter said.
The proposals were discussed at a meeting last week attended by officials from the ministries of power and new & renewable energy, Niti Aayog, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), power distribution companies (discoms) and industry representatives, the people said on condition of anonymity.
Stakeholder consultations are in the initial stages and come amid renewed concerns over India’s following the West Asia conflict. India is the world’s second-largest importer of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), with nearly 65% of its annual demand of 33 million tonnes met through imports, about 90% of which come from West Asia.
Policymakers see induction cookstoves as a way to reduce exposure to global LPG supply disruptions for its 340 million consumers. They also estimate that induction cooking costs about a third less than conventional cooking methods.
Discoms present at the meeting said large-scale adoption would require an assessment of household electricity loads, changes to domestic wiring, and upgrades to distribution infrastructure.
“The emphasis is on moving ahead in a mission mode to boost adoption of induction cookstoves and enhance localization,” one of the people cited above said.
The government is also looking to reduce dependence on imported components, most of which are currently sourced from China, this person added.
Key components of an induction cookstove—glass, coil, printed circuit boards (PCB) and DC fan—are mostly imported from China, and comprise 90% of an appliance’s overall cost of around ₹1,000. Mint that the industry has also sought customs duty reduction and GST reduction from 18% to 5% on these components.
This proposed initiative is expected to complement state-run Energy Efficiency Services Ltd’s (EESL) plans to roll out an interest subvention scheme for induction cookstoves for the economically weaker section of the population in partnership with multilateral financiers under the flagship National Efficient Cooking Programme (NECP), as by Mint earlier.
Queries mailed to Niti Aayog, Union ministries of power and new & renewable energy, and the DPIIT remained unanswered till press time.
Alok Kumar, director general of the All India Discoms Association (AIDA) said there is a need for a clear policy framework and incentives rather than ad hoc support and directives.
“The consumer is also confused as subsidy is provided for LPG and there is also a push for PNG (piped natural gas),” Kumar, a former Union power secretary said, adding that appropriate supportive incentives would be required to boost adoption of cookstoves, and a likely trajectory of their adoption needs to be established.
Kumar said that “the load of an induction cookstove may be at the level of an AC (air conditioner)”, and as adoption increased, discoms would need to be supported for infrastructure enhancement.
Bishal Thapa, chief of strategy and impact at global nonprofit CLASP, said the focus on higher adoption of induction cookstoves has been there for the past several years, but the need has resurfaced amid the energy supply woes.
“Electrification of the cooking process is a very complicated process. It requires changes both on the behavioural front and associated infrastructure,” Thapa said, adding that apart from cost and economics, availability of products in the market and access to electricity may also be key factors behind slow adoption induction cookstoves so far.
“The grid needs to be able to deliver power when the consumer needs it. One cannot wait to cook. Further, people’s homes need to be wired for these appliances,” said Thapa.
Already, the government has started a national level awareness programme for adoption of these cookstoves. Manufacturers were also directed to adhere to star rating norms for these appliances by this July, but were given an additional six months amid supply concerns.
“The country currently produces around 10 million induction cookstoves annually and manufacturers are gearing up to increase it to 20 million,” said Neha Dhingra, director of the India program at CLASP.