Nitin Gadkari Launched Innovative Khadi Prakritik Paint with “Ashta Laabh”

Seeking to reinvent the age-old Indian tradition of coating houses with cow dung, Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) has developed Khadi Prakritik Paint, a first-of-its-kind paint in India made from cow dung with eight benefits or Ashta Laabh. The unique product which is innovative, eco-friendly and cost-effective, was launched by Hon’ble Minister for MSME, Shri Nitin Gadakri on Tuesday from the sprawling lush-green lawns of his residence in New Delhi. Hon’ble Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Shri Giriraj Singh, Hon’ble Minister of State for MSME, Shri Pratap Chandra Sarangi and KVIC Chairman Shri Vinai Kumar Saxena were present on the occasion.

While launching the paint, Shri Gadkari said the innovative Khadi Prakritik Paint has the potential of evolving into a Rs 6000 crore market and creating 10 lakh new jobs that will revolutionalize the agro-based economy of the country.

“A policy will be framed for sharing the technical knowhow of Khadi Prakritik Paint to maximum people in India. KVIC will provide technical training to new entrepreneurs who could benefit by manufacturing cow dung paint. Thousands of Prakritik paint manufacturing units can be set up across the country that will give a big boost to local manufacturing and agro-based economy,” Shri Gadkari said.

He said bulk utilization of cow dung will ensure monetary gains to farmers that will also desist them from selling away cows in the market. “This will put a check on cow slaughtering. We will stop cow slaughtering through the economy and not through the law,” he said.

Speaking on the occasion, Shri Giriraj Singh appealed to the leading paint manufacturing companies to learn the technical knowhow for making cow-dung paint from KVIC in order to promote an eco-friendly product that will boost the local economy. “The natural benefits of cow dung make this Khadi Prakritik Paint a perfect immunity for the houses,” Shri Singh said.

Shri Pratap Chandra Sarangi said the “Vedic Vigyan” or the ancient practices have been mixed with the modern science to produce Khadi Prakritik Paint.

KVIC Chairman Shri Vinai Kumar Saxena said Khadi Prakritik Paint was not just a product but a tool of accelerating the growth of rural economy in India. “The prime objective of developing cow-dung paint is employment generation which is the basic premise of Khadi. This paint is a reinvention of age-old practices into a scientifically-tested modern product,” Saxena said.

Production of Khadi Prakritik Paint is aligned with the Hon'ble Prime Minister’s vision of increasing farmers’ income. At the same time, it will create thousands of new jobs in the paint manufacturing sector as KVIC will share the technology and provide training for manufacturing of Prakritik Paint. At present, Prakritik Paint manufacturing unit at KVIC’s Kumarappa National Handmade Paper Institute in Jaipur, has the daily capacity of producing 500 liters of paint which provides direct employment to 10 people.

Apart from being waterproof and washable, Khadi Prakritik Paint contains the natural benefits of cow dung like anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and natural thermal insulation properties. This paint is eco-friendly, non-toxic, odorless and cost-effective. Emulsion paint meets BIS 15489:2013 standards; Distemper paint conforms to BIS 428:2013 standards.

As compared to other paints of the same category, Khadi Prakritik Paints are up to 50 percent economical.

Khadi Prakritik Paint is available in two forms – distemper paint and plastic emulsion paint. Cow dung is the main raw material of this paint which is easily and abundantly available across the country. It will, therefore, ensure round the year easy availability of raw material for the paint which will further create additional income of up to Rs 30,000 per annum per animal for farmers and gaushalas.