India’s animal husbandry department brings ‘Cow dung chips’ to combat mobile phone radiation
“These are not certified but tested" said the department head
The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying of India has recently unveiled a cow dung chip named 'Gausatva Kavach' which can allegedly save people from the radiation from mobile phones.
Vallabhbhai Kathiria, the head of the department and former union health minister inaugurated the chips in an event promoting products made of cow dung, reports The Wire.
Indian Express has reported that it is manufactured from Rajkot of Gujarat state, a city Kathiria himself is from. The chips are priced between Rs 50 and Rs 100 each.
"This is a radiation chip. You can keep it in your mobile. We have seen that if you keep this chip in your mobile, it reduces radiation significantly. If you want to avoid disease, then this is to be used," said Katharia.
Another Indian news agency ANI quoted him as having said that the benefit of combatting radiation with cow dung has been "scientifically proven," no such proof exists – nor is it true that cellphones emit any dangerous radiation.
"Now we have started a research project. We want to have research on these subjects which we consider a myth," Kathiria reportedly said, citing the example of Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar, who had earlier said he drinks cow urine.
When asked whether these chips, ostensibly funded by taxpayers' money, were tested in a government laboratory for their claimed anti-radiation properties, Kathiria said, "These are not certified but tested. It can be tested in any laboratory, even in a college."
The department has been doing similar researches for a while as the Bharatiya Janata Party-led centre has been keen to focus on the benefits of cow dung and cow urine, often with claims that remain unsubstantiated by science.
