Clean Cookstoves: Biomass is still used as a fuel in the world which led to high indoor air pollution and causes tremendous health problems especially among the women and children. According to WHO 3 billion people cook and heat their home using solid fuels such as charcoal, wood, dung, agricultural waste on open fires or traditional cookstoves. And around 4.3 million people die per year due to household air pollution. In India 166 million household depends on the biomass fuel and 4,88,000 deaths occur due to Indoor air pollution according to WHO. There are many ways of reducing Indoor air pollution such as use of Improved (clean) Cookstoves, LPG, electricity and also by changing human behaviour. Clean/ Improved cook-stoves (ICS) are a mature energy technology for the efficient conversion of energy from biomass to heat. Improved Cookstoves are of two types i.e. Natural Draft and Forced Draft Cookstove. In Natural Draft Cookstove the air require for combustion is circulated naturally but in Forced Draft Cookstove an external fan is attached to it which run on external power from mains/battery/TEG for proper circulation of air for combustion. Improved cookstoves provide clean cooking solution with a view to reduce drudgery of women and children through reduce consumption of fuel wood, saving in cooking time and reduction of emissions. UnnatChulhaAbhiyan launched in June 2014 by Ministry of New & Renewable Energyfor promotion of improved biomass Cook stoves in all the State/UTs for providing clean cooking energy solutions. A target of 2.75 million improved cookstoves will be disseminated in the remaining period of 12th Plan Period. At present more than 50 different cookstoves models are approved by the Ministry. In order to create awareness generation as well as cookstove dissemination huge manpower is needed and hence training & skilling is very much necessary to create a positive impact in the society mainly rural and semi-urban areas.
