PM Modi has again addressed the nation in his radio show ‘Mann ki Baat’ to “team up for toys”. The government is also aspiring to integrate all the toy clusters and artisans, so as to boost the toy sector.
August 31, 2020
There are imminent plans to set up toy labs, a national toy fair, and to come up with innovative Indian-themed toys as the government is devising strategies to promote traditional toys produced in the country. With the new quality control scheme being instituted into practice, India will start to enforce quality control for imported toys from September 1 onwards, to ensure that only products conforming to the new standards, will be able to make their way into the Indian toy market.
As a matter of fact, imports from China and Taiwan take up nearly 90% of the domestic toy market which is worth around USD 1.75 billion (according to recent market estimates). Apart from that, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has approached some large-scale toy manufacturers and is proposing to hold a meeting with them as it seeks investment in the country’s toy industry. As part of the new policy, there could be BIS checks on existing inventory in warehouses while retailers may continue to sell the existing inventory.
In his radio address ‘Mann Ki Baat’ on Sunday, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has called upon startup entrepreneurs to “team up for toys”, saying it is high time to get vocal for locally produced toys, as under the ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ and ‘Vocal for Local’ initiatives. A plan to establish networks of toy labs like Atal Tinkering Lab is also in the works, that would provide support for physical toys for children to learn, play and innovate, in addition to a specialized quality toy marking for quality certification and original design. The government is also deliberating forming producers’ companies for all the clusters and artisans with them.
