Gadkari becomes 'brand ambassador' of Khadi Prakritk paint; purchases 1,000 litre of paint
New Delhi: Minister for Road Transport and Highways & MSME Nitin Gadkari virtually inaugurated the new automated manufacturing unit of Khadi Prakritik Paint, India's first and only paint made from cow dung, in Jaipur on Tuesday. Gadkari appreciated the technology innovation and said this would go a long way in empowering the rural and agro-based economy in the country.
On this occasion, Gadkari also placed an order for 1,000 litre of Khadi Prakritik Paint (500 litre each of Distemper and Emulsion) which he intends to use at his residence in Nagpur. The Minister declared himself the "Brand Ambassador '' of Khadi Prakritk Paint and said he would promote it across the country so as to encourage young entrepreneurs to take up the manufacturing of cow dung paint.
"Even inaugurating infrastructure projects worth lakhs of crores of rupees is not as pleasing and satisfying as I feel today while inaugurating this manufacturing unit. I appreciate Khadi and Village Industries Commission for the successful research. Khadi Prakritik Paint has immense potential of creating sustainable development for benefit of the poorest of the poor. Our target should be setting up a Parkritik Paint unit in each and every village and for this I will promote this paint as its Brand Ambassador. I am placing an order for 1,000 litre of Khadi Prakritk Paint and I will use this paint in my own house," Gadkari said.
The new plant has been set up on the campus of Kumarappa National Handmade Paper Institute (KNHPI), Jaipur, which is a unit of Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC). Earlier Prakritik Paint was being manufactured manually on a prototype project. Commissioning of the new manufacturing unit will double the production capacity of Prakritik Paint. At present the daily production of Prakritik Paint is 500 litre which will go up to 1000 litre per day.
KVIC Chairman Vinai Kumar Saxena said the new plant is equipped with modern technology and machinery that will also ensure highest standards of the product in terms of quality and uniformity. "Technology upgrade will also benefit the young entrepreneurs undergoing training at KNHPI in making of Khadi Prakritik Paint as they will get to learn the latest techniques," Saxena said.
Khadi Prakritik Paint was launched by Gadkari on 12th January 2021. KNHPI, which has developed the paint, is providing 5-day training to applicants in making Prakritik Paint. So far, KNHPI has already provided training to 418 persons and training of 150 applicants is awaited. The training process stopped due to Covid-19 lockdown; however, training will resume shortly. So far KVIC has sold over 11,000 litre of Prakritik Paint through its stores and KVIC e-portal.
The Paint has been launched with the twin objectives of increasing farmers' income and creating self-employment across the country. To enable maximum people to benefit from this innovation, KVIC has included this project under the Prime Minister Employment Generation Program (PMEGP), a flagship scheme of the Central government for employment generation.
Available in two variants- Distemper and Emulsion, Khadi Prakritik Paint contains "Ashta Laabh"; i.e. the eight benefits like anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and natural thermal insulation properties. This paint is eco-friendly, non-toxic, odorless and cost-effective.
