India is increasingly turning to biogas, derived from cow dung and farm waste, as a cooking fuel solution amid widespread liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) shortages linked to the Iran war. Long queues for LPG cylinders are forcing households to seek alternatives like biogas, which offers a sustainable and low-cost energy source.

• India consumes over 30 million tonnes of LPG annually, importing more than half of its supply, making it vulnerable to global supply disruptions.
• Households in villages like Nekpur, Uttar Pradesh, such as 25-year-old Gauri Devi, are successfully using biogas for daily cooking needs, relying on LPG only for emergencies.
• The government has been promoting biogas since the 1980s, subsidizing millions of small-scale digester units, and is now pushing for larger-scale production as part of its carbon neutrality goals by 2070.