After the ongoing war in West Asia, consumers in Nepal as well as India are complaining about not getting gas. For the past few days, consumers have been standing in line to buy gas cylinders. However, Nepal Oil Corporation has been claiming that it has created an artificial shortage. Stating that the trend of buying and storing more gas than required is increasing, the corporation has said that it will sell only half a cylinder of gas.

On the other hand, the Indian government has said that there is no shortage of gas and that gas is being sold and distributed regularly. Meanwhile, consumers have started inquiring about electric stoves, saying that the shortage of gas will be complicated. They say that the demand for electric stoves has increased not only in retail and wholesale shops but also in trading companies under government bodies.

Dharmakumari Rajbanshi, head of the Food Management and Trading Company's provincial office, Thapathali, said that there has been an increase in inquiries about electric stoves in recent times. She said that so far, they have been selling them as ordered by government bodies or individuals. She informed that until a few days ago, Baltra Company's electric stoves were being sold for Rs 4,200. "There has been an increase in people asking about electric stoves, saying there is a shortage of gas due to the war. Earlier, we used to bring stoves for government agencies, but now other consumers are also coming," she said.

The operator of the Neupane Electric Shop in Shankhamul also said that the number of consumers coming to buy electric stoves and their utensils has increased. The operator said that the number of buyers of electric stoves, their utensils and rice cookers has increased compared to other times. "It may be because there is no gas. Now the number of people coming to ask and buy has increased," the operator said.

Stakeholders say that due to the instability in fuel supply due to the Iran-Israel war, an artificial shortage of gas is being created. Experts believe that electric stoves can be an alternative solution in the current situation. The country is completely dependent on gas and petroleum products. In such a situation, electric stoves can be a suitable option to utilize the country's internal resources, said Gunakar Bhatta, former executive director of Nepal Rastra Bank.

‘The use of firewood, electric stoves and materials can be increased as an alternative to gas,’ he said, ‘There are also disadvantages to firewood. We can increase the use of electric stoves where electricity is available.’ Bhatta says that municipalities should play a role in increasing the use of electric stoves to reduce dependence on gas.

After the 2072 earthquake and the subsequent undeclared blockade by India, the consumption of induction stoves had started to increase somewhat. During the blockade, the Chinese government provided 10,000 induction stoves to Nepal, and the government-owned Food Management and Trading Company sold them for Rs 4,000 each. Although the use of electric stoves has increased comparatively, due to the lack of quality electricity, consumers have started to keep both gas and stoves. On the other hand, since consumers have already invested in gas, they are hesitant to invest in electric stoves and their utensils.

The seven-month data from the Customs Department also shows that the import of electric stoves is increasing. While 111,600 electric stoves were imported in the seven months of the last fiscal year, 132,000 induction stoves were imported in the same period of the current fiscal year, according to the department. 111,600 induction stoves worth Rs. 225,556,000 were imported in the seven months of the last fiscal year. 132,000 induction stoves worth Rs. 215,477,000 have been imported in the same period of the current fiscal year.

According to the department, 38,691 infrared stoves worth Rs. 77,633,000 were imported in the seven months of the current fiscal year, while 39,900 infrared stoves worth Rs. 71,811,000 have been imported in the same period of the last fiscal year. According to the department, 910 other types of electric stoves worth Rs. 40,411,000 were also imported in the seven months of the current fiscal year. 1,060 other electric stoves worth Rs. 50,400,000 were imported in the same period of the last year.

The government has been providing customs exemptions to increase the use of electric stoves. Since the fiscal year 2078/79, the customs rate has been 1 percent and the value-added tax (VAT) has been 13 percent. The government has been saying that this policy was put forward with the expectation that by reducing the customs tax on imported electric stoves, consumers will be able to buy them at cheaper prices and even increase electricity consumption. But even after reducing the tax rate, consumers have not been able to get that facility.

The government had reduced the customs rate on induction stoves by 4 percentage points through the Finance Act of the fiscal year 2078/79. Earlier, 5 percent customs duty was levied on the import of induction. The government had been saying that the purpose of reducing customs duty in this way was to increase electricity consumption. The government had reduced the customs duty saying that cooking gas would be replaced with electric stoves.

In the fiscal year 2076/77, the customs rate for electrical appliances like induction was 15 percent, but in the fiscal year 2077/78, it was reduced by 10 percentage points to 5 percent. In just three fiscal years, customs duty on induction and infrared stoves has been reduced by 14 percentage points to only 1 percent.

Even though the government has given customs duty exemptions, usage has not increased due to the lack of reliability of electricity. Although it cannot be said that electricity never goes out, the quality and reliability of electricity has been increasing recently, says Hitendradev Shakya, Executive Director of Nepal Electricity Authority. ‘As the reliability of electricity is increasing, the use of electrical appliances has also increased. The demand for electricity is not as high as it is in the winter, but it has increased in an invisible way,’ Shakya said. ‘Currently, there is a demand of 400 megawatts during peak hours. It used to be 600 megawatts in the winter.’