Designed by an international team of globally recognised scientists and engineers, the cook-stoves would reduce toxic emissions by as much as 80 per cent while using 50 per cent less fuel and reducing coo-king cycle time by 40 per cent.

The stoves were developed as a result of a partnership between Envirofit and Shell Foundation (UK), initially launched in 2007 to engineer and deliver clean burning biomass stoves that are affordable and attractive to people impacted by Indoor Air Pollution (IAP), says a release from the company.

"Biomass (wood, crop waste and animal dung) is likely to remain the primary cooking fuel for a large majority of rural Indian households for many years to come. Against this background and the alarming number of annual of indoor air pollution-related deaths the world over, we are committed to developing products that will make a significant contribution to healthier and cleaner living," the release quoted Harish Anchan, general manager of Envirofit India, as saying.

"Through the stoves we have developed, we are providing women an opportunity to continue to cook as they would before, but in a less polluting and hazardous environment." Envirofit is a US-based non-profit corporation that designs, manufactures and markets world-class engineered technology products to improve the quality of human life across the globe.

The Envirofit cook-stoves would burn traditional biomass fuels and were engineered to emit significantly less toxic emissions and use less fuel, the release said. Built of durable, high-quality material and engineered to address the unique cooking habits of Indian women, the Envirofit cook-stoves had been a result of over five years of research, the release said.

Available in five models and priced between Rs 500 and Rs 2000, the cook-stoves were currently available in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu and would be introduced in other States across the country in a phased manner.