The think tank of Central government has proposed to make a transform in the way cooking is done in India. This in turn will put halt on major import bills and will also see for the pollution control. The Aayog has prepared a comprehensive plan advocating adoption of methanol as the preferred cooking fuel in households as well as commercially. Methanol is a cleaner fuel and will also reduce the dependence on imported gas too. To increase the domestic production of methanol for cooking the units will be set up at Assam and Bengaluru. Larger stoves for commercial use will be imported from Sweden till technology is developed locally. In terms of heat value, a 14-kg LPG cylinder is equivalent to about 20 kg of methanol. But estimates show methanol is 30% cheaper and saving on an equivalent quantity of LPG is expected to be Rs 350.
