Power, gender and fossil-fuel subsidy reform in India
This paper explores the link between fossil-fuel subsidies and gender in India. It focuses on the likely gender impacts of reform across cooking, lighting, pumping and transport fuels. Research finds subsidies have provided little benefit to the rural population and to the poor, especially to two thirds of people who rely on biomass for cooking. Reform of subsidies should mitigate negative impacts of reform for women, and rather increase access to sustainable energy and empowerment of women. Benefit transfer schemes, designed to compensate fuel users, have not reached women due to a lack of financial inclusion. The report describes existing efforts around gender budgeting within the energy sector, and analyses available time-use and energy household survey data.