FUEL CHOICE BEHAVIOUR OF TRIBAL HOUSEHOLDS: AN EXPLORATORY ANALYSIS

Households' fuel choice behaviour for cooking and heating depends upon number of socio-economic and demographic factors. The multinomial logistic analysis expresses choice between three mutually exclusive and differentiated fuels for cooking and heating. The likelihood ratio tests identifies variables like income of the household, education level (measured in terms of schooling year attended by the household members), price of modern fuel, etc. as significant variables in determining households' fuel choice behaviour. The study recommend that policy initiative should attempt at improving livelihood, subsidized LPG distribution policy, increasing the education level of the household members in tribal household and to create awareness about the environmental cost and health hazard of biomass fuel consumption in order to motivate the people towards the modern fuels.