A new study has found that there are several barriers preventing low-income households in India from using liquified petroleum gas (LPG). These barriers include high refill costs, a complex application process, no delivery to people’s homes, and a lack of support for complaints. The study is part of a project called Cleaner Air and Better Health, which aims to understand why people continue to use unhealthy biomass fuels instead of LPG and to find ways to change this. The project is supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and led by the Council on Energy, Environment, and Water. The study looked at different aspects, such as how women feel about using biomass, how people start using LPG and keep using it, and how much people know about the health risks of using biomass. The Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) has helped more low-income households access LPG since it started in 2016. The scheme wants to give gas connections, a stove, and a gas cylinder to poor families. However, even though many connections have been given, a study shows that not everyone continues to use the gas. The main problem is that it is expensive to refill the gas, and poor families often don’t have enough money to afford it. Many households, about 41%, still use solid fuels because they cannot afford anything else. This is mainly because of traditional beliefs, the way society is set up, and not knowing about the benefits of cleaner fuels. Women who are over 18 and are responsible for using fuel took part in discussions and interviews in certain areas. The researchers studied Jharkhand and Delhi to understand the differences in how people use solid fuel for cooking. In Jharkhand, a large percentage of households use solid fuel, while in Delhi, only a small percentage do. The main discovery was that the availability of fuel sources influences the type of fuel low-income households choose for cooking. Economic limits and people’s opinions about the cost, safety, taste, and health effects of using LPG make it less likely for people to choose it. The study also showed that most people didn’t know about the problem of air pollution in households, so there is a need for more campaigns to raise awareness. Economic challenges are a big factor, especially for low-income families in cities who can’t afford to pay the full amount to refill LPG tanks. The difficulty of applying for it and the lack of customer-friendly ways to get LPG make the problem even worse. The research found that people heavily depend on community networks to get information. This shows that there is a need for specific communication plans. At the individual and community levels, it is suggested to create and carry out campaigns to change behavior and raise awareness about the health effects of burning biomass, the advantages of using LPG, and how to safely use it. We should conduct these campaigns by using self help groups and other social networks. Additionally, we need to collect information on how households use fuel in the local area. This information would help find specific groups that should be focused on to encourage them to use clean cooking fuels, according to the study. On a district level, it is suggested to use flexible funds from programs like Integrated Child Development Services, National Health Mission, or the district-level funds from the District Mineral Fund in Jharkhand. These funds can be used to help campaigns that inform people about women’s health and the dangers of air pollution in homes. It is also important to make sure that LPG cylinders are delivered to people’s homes as part of the Ujjwala Yojana in all areas. Using programs such as the Public Distribution System to improve delivery could be helpful. The study recommends providing documentation support to very vulnerable households, especially those in non-notified areas, so they can apply for LPG cylinders. To make it easier for people to apply for LPG connections and PMUY, staff can be placed at common service centers. Creating a strong and easy way for people to raise complaints in each village or neighborhood can solve problems like gas-cutting and delays in processing applications. The study also suggests that it would be helpful to make more people aware of the cheap 5-kg LPG cylinder, especially those with low incomes, and make sure it is always available. It’s also worth considering allowing people to pay for LPG cylinders in installments through groups like self-help groups and local banks. The study suggests that the Health or Women and Child Development departments should consider creating plans to encourage people to switch to LPG or give them more financial help. The study also suggests creating more job opportunities for women by adding another level to the current LPG refilling and distribution system. We might open LPG refill stations in rural areas in Jharkhand. These stations will be run by women self-help groups. Household air pollution is a big problem, especially for certain groups like women, children, and old people in poor households in both cities and rural areas of India. When the air we breathe is not clean, it can cause a lot of health problems. One reason for this is when people use things like wood or charcoal to cook or heat their homes. Burning biomass causes the air to have a lot of tiny particles, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and formaldehyde. These gases and compounds can be harmful to our health. When we use biomass for cooking, it makes the air inside our homes even more polluted and can cause health issues. Rewrite this text using simpler words:
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