Cooking Fuel Policy in India & Empowerment of Women

Population has expanded significantly over the years and the rate of urbanisation has been on the rise. This has put major stress on available resources that were non-existent or not as apparent in the last few years. Theories of social change, state that when changes of any nature occur in a society, it brings about varied alterations in human interactions and thereby modify the functioning of various institutions in the society. The focus of this Chapter is limited to understanding the evolution of the nature of fuel used in India for cooking. The author here has tried to explore how the kind of fuel used for this purpose has evolved over the years and how this has in turn empowered women and modified their standing in the society.