New Delhi, Apr 7 (IANS): The Chandigarh-based CSIO has developed an electrostatic disinfectant machine which will help in the fight against coronavirus in the country.

The Central Scientific Instruments Organisation (CSIO) is a national laboratory of CSIR dedicated to research, design and development of scientific and industrial instruments.

The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research had entered into an agreement with BHEL and drug company Cipla and TCS to fight coronavirus.

The order to manufacture the new equipment has been given to Bharat Heavy Electrical Limited, which is currently making it at its Haridwar unit in Uttar Pradesh. The cost of the machine, around Rs 50,000, can be further reduced with mass production, researchers believe.

The machine can spray molecules as small as 10-20 microns of a disinfectant as compared with 40-50 microns by machines currently available in the market, making it more effective in disinfecting any surface.

CSIO scientist Manoj Patel told India Science Wire that the machine can be used for sanitising both indoors and outdoors.

The machine can be used in the fight against coronavirus even though it was originally meant to be used at public places like bus stands, railway stations and airports.

Dr Patel said it could prove 80 per cent more effective in killing harmful microbes than other machines in use.