The e-commerce company is seeking to provide a boost to homegrown emerging Indian brands and manufacturers and promote ”Made in India” toys while supporting the government”s mission.
December 04, 2020
E-commerce major Amazon India has collaborated with Skillenza to host a ”toy hackathon” that aims to provide a platform for young innovators to design toys as pedagogical tools for children. The #ToyathonChallenge2020 will offer a platform for young innovators from top institutes across the country to come together and design toys as pedagogical tools for children with a key focus on education, entertainment, and engagement, a statement by Amazon said on Thursday.
“#ToyathonChallenge2020 is in line with the National Education Policy’s 2020 vision, which emphasizes toys to serve as tools for cognitive development for children across the country and is instrumental in imparting India’s identity, history and narrative,” it added.
Further, the initiative will create an indigenous market with new toy technologies and provide an immense scope to re-purpose India’s traditional craft making processes to develop toys as learning tools for the all-round development of children, along with recreational use, it said.
By providing this opportunity, Amazon will give a boost to homegrown emerging Indian brands and manufacturers and promote ”Made in India” toys while supporting the government”s mission, the statement added.
The toy industry is massive and there is immense scope for India to repurpose traditional craft making processes to develop toys that can be used as learning tools for all-round development of children, Union Minister of Education Ramesh Pokhriyal was quoted as saying.
“I am pleased to launch #ToyathonChallenge2020, a toy hackathon by Amazon to promote innovations in toy technology & design to reflect Indian ethos and values,” he added.
Amit Agarwal, Global Senior Vice President and Country Head at Amazon India, said India”s toy manufacturing industry is unique and can help increase contribution to the global industry.
“We have been committed to enabling the MSME ecosystem through different initiatives to support local artisans and manufacturers. The ToyathonChallenge2020 is another step towards our commitment to local empowerment where the winners will get a chance to partner with a leading Indian toy manufacturing brand to showcase their creation,” he added.
Students enrolled in any higher education institution in India will be eligible to participate in the hackathon. After registration and a 9-12 week-long virtual competition to be conducted in four phases, the entries will be evaluated by the jury and the winners will be announced.
Source: PTI
