An evaluation of the Government of India's NPIC (National Programme of Improved Cookstoves) was undertaken in six states to learn lessons and assess impediments to future stoves programmes. The programmes were assessed on the basis of stove design, consumer satisfaction, capacity for quality control, and the role of subsidies in reaching a greater number of people.

Switching entirely to LPG to meet household energy needs is one way of reducing indoor air pollution. It also has the additional benefits of facilitating convenience in cooking and saving cooking time. Although there are a number of reasons why many households do not use LPG, the primary reason is that the poor cannot afford it. The Andhra Pradesh government has launched an innovative, targeted subsidy programme - the Deepam scheme - to encourage the LPG consumption among low-income households.

Firewood, agricultural residue and animal dung are commonly called biomass fuels. In Bangladesh, biomass is obtained from three sources - trees, field crops and livestock. Biomass is important for the household purpose, mainly cooking. To save fuel consumption and time, and keep the kitchen clean and free of smoke, an improved cookstove programme has been started by the Government of Bangladesh.

To study the association between ambient air pollutants (AAP) and respiratory symptoms complex (RSC) in preschool children, a cohort of 664 children between the ages of 1 month to 4.5 yr were randomly selected from 28 slums (anganwadi centres) of Lucknow, north India. They were followed up fortnightly for six months.