50 shades of brown: India backs ‘eco-friendly & cost effective’ paint made from COW DUNG in new bovine-tech development

The Indian government has thrown its support behind a project which sees cow dung processed and repurposed as paint, describing it as environmentally friendly and praising its ability to create employment.

In a press statement on Monday, the union minister for micro, small & medium enterprises, Narayan Rane, lauded the results of a study which claims that ‘Khadi Prakritik’ cow-dung paint is both “eco-friendly and cost effective.

The paint, which was launched earlier in 2021, has been tested at several government facilities, including the National Test Houses in Ghaziabad and Mumbai and the Shri Ram Institute of Industrial Research in Delhi, and “satisfies the parameters required for paint.” 

The ministry has high hopes for the cow-dung paint, developed by the Jaipur-based Kumarappa National Handmade Paper Institute (KNHPI), saying it will create jobs, promote local manufacturing, and generate additional revenue for those working with cows, including farmers and shelter home workers. 

Earlier in July, Union Minister of Road Transport Nitin Gadkari said he would become a “brand ambassador” for the paint which originates from the rear-end of Hinduism’s holiest animal. He lauded its “immense potential” for helping the “poorest of the poor” and even said a prakritik paint unit should be set up “in each and every village.”

Gadkari was speaking at the inauguration of a new plant which will double production of the paint to around 1,000 liters per day. The paint is available in two varieties – distemper and emulsion – and is even believed to have certain benefits, including anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and natural thermal insulation properties.

In India, cow dung is widely believed to benefit human health when consumed, smeared onto the body, and used around the house. In recent months it has even been touted as a cure for Covid-19, though Indian doctors quickly debunked those theories.

In March, Madhya Pradesh Culture Minister Usha Thakur told media that ritual burning of a cow dung patty can keep a house sanitized for 12 hours. While unsupported by science, the minister’s comments, and those of other Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP – India’s ruling party) politicians, including the promotion of drinking cow urine, have fueled the spread of Covid-19 misinformation. 

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