The first ever ‘The India Toy Fair 2021’ was held virtually on February 27, 2021 – March 2, 2021 on the underlying themes of ‘Atmanirbhar (Self Reliant) Bharat’ and ‘Vocal for Local’ to boost the India toy manufacturing industry. It was inaugurated by Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi where he urged the manufacturers to use less plastic and more recyclable material.
- The fair was in the form of a digitally through the platform https://theindiatoyfair.in.It is an accessible exhibition and platform for the public to browse and buy toys and also to participate in events, activities and network with the various stakeholders of the toy Industry.
- It was divided into five stages viz. pre-school to Class II, primary, upper primary, secondary and senior secondary.
- India’s toy market stands at around $1.5 billion, but it is dominated by imported toys.
- Hamleys, owned by Reliance Retail, is the title sponsor of the toy fair.
Participating Ministries: 9 (Ministries & Govt Departments)
- Ministry of Textiles
- Ministry of Skill Development And Entrepreneurship
- Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME)
- Ministry of Commerce and Industry
- Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B)
- Ministry of Education (MoE)
- Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY)
- Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT)
- Department of Science & Technology
Focus of Fair:
i.To collaborate with industry and the government for making India as a global hub for the production and sourcing of toys.
ii.To attract investments and promote exports.
What was in the toy fair?
A Virtual Exhibition with over 1000 virtual stalls, webinars by State Governments, knowledge sessions with engaging panel discussions/webinars on diverse topics by experts on areas including toy-based learning, craft demonstrations, competitions, quizzes, virtual tours, product launches, etc.
India’s first toy cluster to be set up in Karnataka
i.The Aequs Private Limited, contract manufacturer, is developing a 400-acre toy manufacturing cluster at Koppal in Karnataka at an investment of USD 500 million.
- This decision has been taken to increase domestic manufacturing of toys as India imports USD 1.2 billion worth of toys annually, mostly from China.
- Currently, the global toy market size is USD 90 billion where India stands at USD 1.7 billion.
ii.Out of the 400 acres of the cluster, 300 acres will be a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) dedicated for exports and the rest would cater to the domestic market.
iii.It will house over 100 units with a potential to generate over 25,000 direct jobs apart from 1,00,000 indirect jobs.
Participation of Centre for Creative Learning (CCL):
- IIT Gandhinagar based Centre for Creative Learning (CCL) will showcase its unique 75 toy creations in the fair.
- IIT Gandhinagar is the only IIT in the country which is running such a centre for creative learning.
- The centre is inculcating scientific temperament among students and teachers by developing a range of scientific and educational toys.
Additional Info:
In January 2021, the Central Government launched Toycathon 2021 an online toy hackathon for innovative toys/games concepts. Toycathon-2021 is conceived to challenge India’s innovative minds to conceptualize novel Toy and Games based on Bharatiya civilization, history, culture, mythology and ethos.
Background:
In his Mann ki Baat in August, 2020, PM Modi first talked about being self-reliant in toy sectors. He had said India’s startups need to think of innovative toys instead of depending on imported plastic toys.
Click here to Read about Toycathon 2021
Recent Related News:
i.The 24th National Youth Festival (NYF) 2021 was held from 12th to 16th January, 2021. Its closing ceremony was addressed by Union Minister of Textiles and Women and Child Development Smriti Zubin Irani in New Delhi in the presence of Union Minister of State (I/C) for Youth Affairs and Sports Kiren Rijiju.
ii.On January 9, 2021, an annual Cherry Blossom Mao Festival was held at Mao in Senapati district, Manipur. It was virtually inaugurated by Chief Minister (CM) of Manipur Nongthombam Biren Singh from the CM Secretariat in Imphal, amid COVID-19. The festival marked the beginning of pink season in the district.
About Ministry of Education (MoE):
Union Minister– c‘Nishank’ (Constituency– Haridwar, Uttarakhand)
Minister of State (MoS)– Sanjay Shamrao Dhotre
