Nitin Gadkari to launch Cow Dung based Vedic Paint help farmers earn extra money

Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways & MSME, will launch an innovative new paint developed by Khadi and Village Industries Commission.

Named as ”Khadi Prakritik Paint”, this is an eco-friendly, non-toxic first-of-its-kind product with anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties.

The Khadi Prakritik Paint is based on cow dung as its main ingredient. According to a statement by the Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises, Khadi Prakritik paint is cost-effective and odorless and has been certified by Bureau of Indian Standards.

The statement said that Khadi Prakritik Paint is available in two forms – distemper paint and plastic emulsion paint.

“The production of Khadi Prakritik Paint is aligned with Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision of increasing farmers’ income. The project was conceptualized by Chairman KVIC in March 2020, and later developed by Kumarappa National Handmade Paper Institute, Jaipur (a KVIC unit),” the MSME Ministry said.

This paint is free from heavy metals like lead, mercury, chromium, arsenic, cadmium and others. It is expected to boost local manufacturing and create sustainable local employment through technology transfer.

This Khadi Prakritik Paint technology will increase consumption of cow dung as a raw material for eco-friendly products and generate additional revenue to farmers and gaushalas.

According to an estimate by the Government, the sale of this paint is expected to help farmers an extra income of Rs 30,000 per animal, per year.“This is estimated to generate additional income of Rs 30,000 (approx) per annum per animal to farmers/ gaushalas,” the statement said.

The utilization of cow dung will also clean the environment and prevent clogging of drains. The Khadi Prakritik Distemper & Emulsion Paints have been tested at three National Laboratories – National Test House, Mumbai; Shri Ram Institute for Industrial Research, New Delhi; National Test House, Ghaziabad.