Kumarappa National Handmade Paper Institute (KNHPI), a unit under KVIC in Jaipur, has developed low-cost distemper and emulsion paint from cow dung. On 12th January 2020, Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways & MSME Sh. Nitin Gadkari launched the Cow Dung Paint.
Khadi Prakritik Paint – India’s 1st Cow Dung Paint
Khadi Prakritik Paint is an eco-friendly, non-toxic paint with anti-fungal, anti-bacterial properties. The paint is cost-effective, odourless and has been certified by Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). The speciality of the paint is that cow dung is the main ingredient.
The project was conceptualized by KVIC in March 2020 and later developed by Kumarappa National Handmade Paper Institute, Jaipur (a KVIC unit).
The product has the potential to become a big income booster for gaushalas in the state. About 30% cow dung pulp is mixed with chemicals to produce these paints.
Khadi Prakritik Paint is available in two forms – distemper paint and plastic emulsion paint. Both distemper and emulsion paint have been developed by the KNHPI institute based on cow dung as its main ingredient.
The paint is cost-effective and odorless and has been certified by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). One litre of distemper will cost only Rs 120 while that of emulsion is Rs 225 per litre which is much lesser than the market rates of similar products.
As per the director of Institute, Badri Lal Meena – “Khadi Prakritik Distemper & Emulsion Paint has been tested at the 3 reputed National Laboratories – National Test House, Mumbai, Shri Ram Institute for Industrial Research, New Delhi, National Test House, Ghaziabad”.
He said the technology will be transferred to interested parties for micro, small and medium enterprises. It will be a boost to local manufacturing and will create sustainable local employment through technology transfer. This technology will increase consumption of cow dung as a raw material for eco-friendly products and will generate additional revenue to farmers and gaushalas.
The paint is free of heavy metals like lead, mercury, chromium, arsenic, cadmium and others.
This is estimated to generate an additional income of Rs 30,000 (approx) per annum per animal to farmers/ gaushalas. Utilisation of cow dung will also clean the environment and prevent clogging of drains. A single unit of manufacturing the paint with a capacity of 500 litres per day could give employment to 10 people, it is estimated.
