India now has its own cow dung paint. Among the country’s several innovative inventions, this unique paint certainly takes the cake. According to the Press Information Bureau, Nitin Gadkari, the Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways and MSME, launched the new paint, the country’s first cow dung paint, on January 12. The paint has been developed by the Khadi and Village Industries Commission at his residence.
What is it?
The ‘Khadi Prakritik Paint’ is a first-of-its-kind product which is being touted as eco-friendly and non-toxic, with anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties. With actual cow dung as its main ingredient, the paint is said to be cost-effective and also odourless. It has also been certified by the Bureau of Indian Standards.
Khadi Prakritik Paint will be available in two forms — distemper and plastic emulsion.
Speaking at the launch event, Gadkari said “the step is aligned with the Prime Minister’s vision of increasing farmers’ income”, and that it is “part of an effort to improve the rural economy to such an extent that reverse migration begins from the cities to rural areas”.
“The paint has successfully passed various test parameters such as application of paint, thinning properties, drying time, and finish, among others. It dries in less than four hours, and has a smooth and uniform finish. The paint can be applied on the interior as well as exterior walls. Both distemper and emulsion paints are available in white base colour, and it can be developed in any color by suitably mixing colorants,” the PIB statement said.
But, this is not the first time cow refuse has been used to manufacture an everyday product. Incense sticks made of cow dung are already available in the market. In 2015, an Allahabad-based ‘gaushala’ had developed a natural disinfectant from cow urine. It was called ‘Gauashish Phenyl’ in Allahabad and surrounding districts, with the same ‘anti-microbial and anti-fungal properties’ purportedly synonymous with cow waste and neem.
In October 2019, Gadkari had launched cow dung soaps made by the Khadi and Village Industries Commission.
