The Chhattisgarh government has established 49 units to make paint from cow dung across 29 districts. A government official said 2 lakh litres of natural paint has been produced from cow dung so far and Rs 2.5 crore has been paid to 2,000 women working in self-help groups in this connection.

The Chhattisgarh government started the Godhan Nyaya Yojana in 2019 under which livestock conservation was to be done. The government later transformed cowsheds into rural industrial parks in the state, the official said.

“Under the Mahatma Gandhi Rural Industrial Park Scheme, various activities are being conducted in the gauthan (cowsheds). Among various income-generating activities, the production of natural paint from cow dung has emerged as a great innovation,” said Pradeep Sharma, advisor to chief minister Bhupesh Baghel.

“On World Environment Day, the Chhattisgarh Environment Conservation Board (CECB) earned recognition in the Limca Book of World Records as the creators of the “Largest Painting Made with Cow Dung Paint” for creating a 3,600 square feet canvas painting using cow dung paint,” the first official cited above said.

“The cow dung paint unit has opened up new avenues of self-employment for the women, empowering them to achieve economic stability for themselves and their families. Earlier, the women were engaged in producing vermicompost from cow dung in the gauthans. However, they have now successfully transitioned into entrepreneurs by manufacturing paint from cow dung,” said an official adding that at present, the women in a manufacturing unit produce about 200 litres of natural paint per day.

The state has proposed construction of 95 natural paint manufacturing units.