Ibrahim Hafeezur Rehman Emphasis on promotion of biofuels can be useful for solving rural energy problems. India is a country in transition with recent high rates of economic growth propelling it towards being a global economic power. The sustenance of this economic growth would depend on how the country is able to take the fruits of development to the deprived sections of society. Deprivation is borne out by the fact that over 50 per cent of the households in the country are yet to be electrified. These households depend on subsidised kerosene for lighting. The kerosene is bur nt in highly inefficient devices that do little for illumination and contribute more towards increasing health problems. Similarly for meeting cooking energy needs, over 80 per cent of the rural households directly burn biomass. Meanwhile, the relatively affluent