On February 11, 2021 Union Education Minister, Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’, Union Minister of Textiles, Smriti Zubin Irani and Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal jointly launched the website(https://theindiatoyfair.in/) for 1st India Toy Fair-2021. It is the 1st ever exhibition and platform to be accessed digitally.
i.The fair is being organized on a virtual platform from 27th February 2021 to 2nd March 2021.
ii.The fair is the 1st of its kind initiative to bring together all stakeholders of the Indian toy industry especially children, parents and teachers on a single digital platform.
Points to be Noted:
It is to be noted that India’s first toy manufacturing cluster to be situated in Kopala, Karnataka.
Website
i.It allows children, parents, teachers, exhibitors, etc. to register themselves to participate in the virtual exhibition and showcase various attributes of the Indian Toy ecosphere.
ii.It enables people to explore and purchase a wide variety of toys from over 1000 exhibitors across States and Union Territories(UTs) of India.
iii.It also enables them to participate in webinars, panel discussions and activities and network with various stakeholders of the toy industry.
1st India Toy Fair-2021
Launch:The launch is in line with the theme of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ and ‘Get vocal for local’ campaign
Purpose: To create sustainable linkages and promote dialogue to develop the industry and reveal about the richness and vastness about India’s toy manufacturing capabilities.
Main Focus: To Boost indigenous industries that are involved in toy making.
Note– This fair will help towards realising Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of making India the next hub of toy production.
Toy-based pedagogy in NEP 2020:
As part of the implementation plan of National Education Policy(NEP) 2020, a Toy-based pedagogy is being developed from preschool to grade 12, which is based on making toys in the classroom using low-cost and inexpensive materials.
India’s first toy manufacturing cluster
Launch
On January 9, 2021 Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa laid the foundation stone for India’s first ‘toy manufacturing cluster’ in Koppal district’s Bhanapur village.
- This is in line with PM Narendra Modi’s vision of Vocal For Local and to boost toy manufacturing.
Coverage, Cost
In the village 400 acres of land has been allocated to establish over 100 plug-and-play manufacturing units at a cost of USD 545 million.
Manufacturing Units
The construction of the units is expected to be completed by December 2021.
The campus of the manufacturing units has been designed to include a Special Economic Zone(SEZ), Domestic Tariff Area and Free Trade Warehousing Zone.
Promoted
The manufacturing campus is being promoted by Aequs SEZ Pvt Ltd in partnership with the Karnataka government.
Employment Generation
The toy manufacturing cluster is expected to generate 25,000 to 30,000 direct jobs and over 1 lakh jobs indirectly.
MoUs Signed
Karnataka Govt signed Memorandum of Understanding(MoUs) with companies that will drive an initial investment of more than USD 200 million.
Companies include Playgro Industries Pvt Ltd(USD 15 million), Sterling New Horizons Pvt Ltd(USD 10million), Hotshot Tooling and Engineering Ltd($6 million), Aequs Force Consumer Products Pvt Ltd($60 million) and Aequs Engineering Plastics Pvt Ltd ($80 million).
Info about Toy Industry in India
i.India’s toy market is estimated at USD 1 billion annually, but around 60% of it is met through imports.
ii.It is to be noted that Karnataka is the 3rd largest market for toys in India and is worth USD 159 million, 9.1% of the national market.
iii.The largest market is Maharashtra followed by Tamil Nadu.
Recent Related News:
i.On 16th December, 2020 Minister of External Affairs(MEA) S. Jaishankar launched an economic diplomacy website to highlight India’s economic, sectoral and state wise strength.
ii.On October 14, 2020, a webinar was conducted at the launch of Affordable Rental Housing Complex (ARHC) portal(http://arhc.mohua.gov.in/) and for the releasing of guidelines and guidebook, from New Delhi which was addressed by Union Minister of State (MoS)- Independent Charge (I/C) Hardeep Singh Puri, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).
Constituencies:
Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’– Haridwar, Uttarakhand
Smriti Zubin Irani- Amethi, Uttar Pradesh
Piyush Goyal– Rajya Sabha, Maharashtra
