Worcester Polytechnic Institute
DigitalCommons@WPI
Great Problems Seminar Posters
Great Problems Seminar
2014
Fueling the Indo-Gangetic Plain
Kyle Chang
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Kushagra Kumar
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Shawn McCarthy
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Daniel Song
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
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Recommended Citation
Chang, Kyle; Kumar, Kushagra; McCarthy, Shawn; and Song, Daniel, "Fueling the Indo-Gangetic Plain" (2014). Great Problems
Seminar Posters. Book 217.
http://digitalcommons.wpi.edu/gps-posters/217
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Fueling the Indo-Gangetic Plain
Kyle Chang (CHE), Kushagra Kumar (RBE), Shawn McCarthy (ME), Daniel Song (ECE)
Advisors: Professor Kristin Wobbe (UGS) and Professor Sharon Wulf (BUS)
Problem
Solution
• 87% of rural Bihar is calorie deficient.
• 44.3% of the population in Bihar lives at or
below the poverty line.
Saving Money
Cut back Bihar residents’ fuel expenses.
Background
•
•
•
•
Benefits
•
•
•
Less money spent on fuel.
More money to spend on food.
Cleaner emissions: less indoor pollution
Requires…
Population: 99 million people.
Northeast India.
Poverty Line: ₹ 32 (Rupees)/day.
11% of monthly income spent on biofuels.
Monthly
Yearly
Traditional
Stove
₹100
₹ 1200
Greenway
Smart Stove
₹ 35
₹ 420
₹ 65
₹ 780
A More Efficient Stove
Provide the Greenway Smart Stove that uses 65% less
fuel than a traditional mud stove.
Requires…
Education & Distribution
Educate recipients on stove benefits, and have stove
readily available for distribution.
Savings
Requires…
Funding
The stoves are to be funded through our partnership
with Kopernik, s company that produces efficient stoves
32 Rupees is equal to 24
servings of rice.
Family Expenses
Bihar (rural)
Acknowledgments
Delhi (urban)
We would like to thank the organization Kopernik and
Laura Hanlan, Research & Instruction Librarian. We
would also like to thank our Professors and PLAs.
4%
11%
₹ 65 is equal to 48 servings
of rice, 200% more rice for
those on the poverty line.
34%
References
52%
55%
44%
Assessment
•
Fuel Expenses
Food expenses
Other
•
•
Initial survey on money spent on food/financial
information.
Survey three years after distribution about changes in
financial situation.
Success and the continuation of the project will be
determined by the results.
Fire Up West Bengal, India. (2013). Retrieved from http://kopernik.info/project/fire-up-west-bengal-india
Erenstein, O., & Thorpe, W. (2011). Livelihoods and agro-ecological gradients: A meso-level analysis in the indo-gangetic
plains, India. Agricultural Systems, 104(1), 42-53. doi:10.1016/j.agsy.2010.09.004
Nandhi, Mani Arul. (2013). The Urban Poor and Their Money: A Study of Cycle Rickshaw Pullers in Delhi. Available from
http://www.ifmrlead.org/cmf/wp-content/uploads/attachments/csy/2257/Rickshaw%20Pullers%20Study.pdf
TR Jain, Mukesh Trehan, Ranju Trehan. (2010). Indian Economy. Available from
https://books.google.com/books?id=nfUT0SwiqOIC&dq=Indian+economy&source=gbs_navlinks_s
Lvovsky, K., Kumar, P., Ferro, M.V., Eskeland, G.S., and Barnes, D.F. (2003). Access of the Poor to Clean Household Fuels in
India. Retrieved from http://www.cleancookstoves.org/resources_files/access-of-the-poor-to-clean.pdf
Singh, K.M.. (2014, July 7). New poverty line: Rs 32 in villages, Rs 47 in cities http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/planningcommission-bpl-earn-rs-25-a-day-india/1/152084.html
Cost of Living in Delhi, India. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.numbeo.com/cost-ofliving/city_result.jsp?country=India&city=Delhi
Bihar ranks 74th in global hunger index. (2013, September 13). Times of India. Retrieved from
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA342687821&v=2.1&u=mlin_c_worpoly&it=r&p=ITOF&sw=w&asid=f16cd
941a5fb93d875d7d0375621f12a