India, March 31 -- Part of a Down To Earth series based on field reporting across rural India

In February 2026, Down To Earth (DTE) travelled across at least 20 villages in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh to examine how India's broader energy transition intersects with the everyday realities of electricity supply, transport costs and cooking fuels in village households.

The global energy system is facing renewed turbulence. Escalating conflict in West Asia, after Israel and the United States launched attacks on Iran before dawn on February 28, has disrupted one of the world's most critical energy corridors. The Strait of Hormuz, a 33-kilometre-wide maritime passage between Iran and Oman that carries roughly one-fifth of g...