Bhubaneswar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi had an extensive meeting on ways to boost the toy manufacturing in India this week. The move is set to benefit the $1.7 billion toymaking industry in India.
Had an extensive meeting on ways to boost toy manufacturing in India. Our focus would be to support the sector and create toys that ensure physical fitness and holistic personality development. https://t.co/5yvLU8Zx22
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 22, 2020
PM Modi talked about extending support to this sector and creating toys that would ensure physical fitness and holistic personality development.
According to Money Control, toy-making may be introduced for students from Class VI onwards as part of the school curriculum. This would include workshops, visits to toy manufacturing factories and local craftsmen.
The introduction of toy making in the school curriculum would help in the promotion of the industry. Moreover, PM Modi also urged start-ups and youngsters to focus on innovations in the toy sector.
I urge start-ups and youngsters to focus on innovations in the toys sector. Educational institutions can organise Hackathons on this as well. Another area that we want to focus on is creating toys that are environment friendly.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 22, 2020
In the present times, almost 85-90 percent of toys sold in India are made in China. This is primarily because Chinese toys are sold at a cheaper price. Also, the Indian toy manufacturing industry has been hampered due to the influx of Chinese toys in India, according to the 145th report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Commerce.
The committee had also said that the low-priced Chinese toys are either mass-produced or rejects from other countries, diverted to the Indian sub-continent. Concerns were raised about the quality of these Chinese toys and the high-toxicity content.
With the recent twist in the India-China relationship, a probable ban on Chinese toys might also give a lift to the local toymakers. This would also promote PM Modi’s vision of Make In India and Atmanirbhar Bharat.
As a result, toy hubs like Channapatana in Karnataka and Rajasthan for puppets, and stuffed toys and unique dolls from Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu will be supported, reports Money Control.
PM Modi said that through proper technology and innovation, India should manufacture quality products that meet global standards. As part of education, toy making will strengthen life-skills and psychomotor learning among children.
India is home to many toy clusters and talented artisans who can make toys that help strengthen life-skills and further psychomotor learning among children. We also discussed how latest technology can be harnessed in the toys manufacturing sector.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 22, 2020
As part of NEP 2020, local crafts like toy-making will be made part of vocational education in schools. Here, the impact of toys on the cognitive and psychomotor skills of children will be looked at. It is likely that expert help will be sought to have structured programmes with academicians and industry experts to introduce toys to students.
Students will also be taken to nearby toy manufacturing factories, units where they will learn about the history of toys, skills required to manufacture them, and other aspects of the process like raw materials, manpower and price, wrote Money Control.
Apart from site visits, students will also be taught about toys of all shapes and sizes. This will be used in both regular schools and rural child-care centres called Anganwadis.
As PM Modi mentioned, hackathons could also be organised across schools and colleges, which would further promote innovation and competition in the sector.