With funds raised by the Rotary Club of Naperville in collaboration with the Rotary Club of Satna, Bharathi Theertha installed smokeless chulas with the help of
Deendayal Research Institute in all the homes of eight villages at a cost of $25,050. These chulas were installed with the objective of eliminating smoke in the kitchens of the homes. Villagers used to cook their food on open flames using leaves, sticks, agricultural waste, paper, dried animal dung as fuel. Such fuels produce a lot of smoke and fill the kitchens with smoke as there was usually no ventilation in these kitchens. Smoke causes various respiratory diseases and cancer. In order to improve the indoor air quality, smokeless chulas were installed with chimneys through which the smoke was allowed to be discharged outside of the houses into the ambient air.
Subsequently, briquetting equipment provided by the Engineers without Borders- India Chapter at a cost o f aobut Rs. 2 lacs was placed to make briquettes out of the same materials that were used for cooking before the installation of the smokeless chulas. These briquettes when used as fuel for the smokeless chulas smoke was minimized.