In Chhattisgarh, paint made from cow dung is used for...

Chief minister Bhupesh Baghel had ordered all government buildings in the state be painted with material derived from cow dung, which is manufactured in some districts.

A rather unusual initiative has come forward from Chhattisgarh where organic paint – made from cow dung – is being used to paint the walls of government buildings and schools. Speaking about the initiative, the district magistrate of capital Raipur also claimed that it is 'bringing prosperity to the rural areas'. "Under 'Godhan Nyay Yojana' this initiative was started. It's bringing prosperity to rural areas. This paint is being used in the government buildings and schools," the DM was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

In Chhattisgarh, organic paint – made from cow dung – is being used to paint the walls of government buildings and schools.(HT Photo/Representational image)

Chief minister Bhupesh Baghel had ordered all government buildings in the state be painted with material derived from cow dung, which is manufactured in some districts. Under this project, vermicompost, super compost, and other products are also produced from cow-dung.

In Raipur, a production manager Sahal Sahu, overlooking the initiative explained the process to ANI.

"First of all we collect cow dung and bring it to Gothan where it is cleaned of any garbage or waste materials in it. After cleaning, it is left in the open for a day and then a thin paste is prepared from it by putting it in a machine. Equal amounts of water and cow dung are put in the machine for the paste preparation," he said.

"After making a paste, it is transferred to another machine, where it is processed and the fibre is separated from the paste which is further turned into a fine powder and sent to the bleaching tank. Here it is heated up to 100 degrees and hydrogen peroxide and caustic soda are added to it, which turns its colour from brown to white and removes all its impurities. After that different coloured paints are prepared by adding colours in it," Sahu added.

Raipur collector Sarveshwar Narendra Bhure hopes the initiative will bring an 'industrial revolution' in the rural areas of Chhattisgarh. The cow dung paint is being hailed with high regard as some bank on its innumerable benefits. Besides being 'natural' without any harmful chemicals, the paint is believed to have 'antibacterial and antifungal properties', is cheaper, and supposedly keeps rooms cooler.