Believe it or not, a tribal villager and his wife in Chhattisgarh now take turns at night to guard cow dung stored at their house so that no one steals it.
Ever since the Chhattisgarh government announced a scheme under which it buys cow dung at Rs 2 a kilo, what was once largely considered a waste has become a precious commodity in the state.
When Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel came on Thursday to Kutru for his public interaction, the villager, Manturam, related how and his wife guarded cow dung at night, triggering much amusement.
A few days back, someone stole the cow dung they had collected. "As it is not possible to keep awake all night, I share the duty with my wife," he said.
The family owns 15 cows and buffaloes, and by selling 14,000 kg of dung they earned Rs 28,000. This money was utilized to repair seepage in their house and to plaster its walls.
With so much money to be made, who would want to lose the cow dung?
It was on July 20, 2020 that Baghel launched the Godhan Nyay Yojana, a first of its kind scheme under which the government procures dung at Rs 2 per kg from livestock owners. The dung is used to prepare organic fertilizers.
