Minister of micro, small and medium enterprises Nitin Gadkari on Thursday announced the launch of ‘vedic paint’ that will be made of cow dung, adding that the initiative will help farmers earn Rs 55,000 per year.

In a series of tweets, the minister, listing the benefits of the move, wrote, “To strengthen rural economy and to augment the income of farmers, the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) will soon launch vedic paint made with cow dung.”

The minister added that the distemper and emulsion made by the Commission will be eco-friendly and non-toxic. “… it will be ant-fungal, anti-bacterial and washable. It will dry up in just 4 hours. It will help cattle farmers earn Rs 55,000 per month,” he added.

In a separate tweet, Gadkari, who is also the Road Transport and Highways minister, announced the recycling of plastic initiative of the KVIC. “To reduce plastic pollution, KVIC is using waste plastic to produce hand-made paper. These products use 20% plastic hence they are 34 % cheaper.