Holy cow! Maneka bats for bovine urine-based floor cleaner

Union Minister Maneka Gandhi is pitching for the use of a surface cleaner made out of extracts of cow urine in government offices saying phenyl which is currently used for the purpose is ‘chemically bad’ for the environment.

In a letter to her Cabinet colleagues, Gandhi has requested them to switch over to 'Gaunyle' -- cleaning liquid made from cow urine extracts, as it is ‘environment friendly’.

The Women and Child development minister said that the Kendriya Bhandar is now stocking the 'Gaunyle'.

"I would request you to replace phenyl which is currently being used in your ministry and is chemically bad for environment with Gaunyle," she said in the letter sent earlier this month.

Phenyl is the cheap cleaning liquid which is widely used in government offices to clean floor and toilets.

Gaunyle is being marketed by an NGO, Holy Cow Foundation. It is said to be environment friendly as it does not have a synthetic base like phenyl but is not as strong as the latter.

Photograph: Reuters