By TIOL News Service

NEW DELHI, FEB 28, 2020: THE Minister of Commerce and Industry, Railways and Consumer Affairs and Food & Public Distribution, Mr Piyush Goyal, yesterday assured the Toy industry full support and cooperation f rom the Government's side. Speaking at the CEO Session of The India Toy Fair (TITF) 2021, he said that no stone will be left unturned to provide support to toy clusters, make business environment easier, get the environment clearances, and compliances with quality regulations. The Minister announced that wherever Toy cluster are being set-up, Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) will establish laboratories for testing the quality of products. He also assured that charges for testing will be soon significantly reduced, thereby bringing down the compliance cost of the industry.

Mr Goyal urged the industry to focus on improving quality of their products, of component suppliers and meet quality standards, as this is the only way the cultural mindset will become quality conscious and we can engage with the world.  He said India as a manufacturer of products will have to provide quality products. “The moment we start making good quality, we will naturally become a player in international trade. It is only the quality culture which will help us to engage with the world and help us to expand our own contribution to resilient supply chains & future businesses. Quality never comes at a cost, it is a cost-saving device. We had the Quality Council of India run a sample test on a variety of Indian & imported toys. The toys were found to be unsafe & were of poor quality. This was the origin of the quality control order. I have taken it upon myself to upgrade the quality of Indian products in every sphere. We have to get quality as a defining feature in every work we do in India. “

Mr Goyal said that we need to re-imagine the entire toy industry;  we need to re-think our business plans; and we need to re-innovate our way of working to make the industry robust and become part of resilient global supply chain. He said that under the leadership of the Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi, this Government will work to change the present situation of 85% imports and 15% indigenous production of toys and turn it around 360 degrees.

Speaking on the occasion, the Minister of Textiles and WCD Smt Smriti Zubin Irani expressed happiness that the first ever ‘The India Toy Fair' inaugurated by the Prime Minister today, has received such an overwhelming response with over 21 lakh registrations, and a large number of exhibitors. Emphasizing the need for reimagining Indian toys, she said that they should reflect Indian legacy, heroes and landmarks. Emphasizing on toys' role as a learning tool, Smt Irani said that the National Education Policy gives new impetus not only to learning with toys but also to procurement of toys in learning facilities especially those aided by Govt of India.  Mentioning that 85 per cent of our toys are serviced from overseas, she called upon the industry leaders to manufacture toys not only for Indian consumers but also for the global market. She said that India itself is a big Toy market and the Indian Toy industry has a bright future.

The first day of The India Toy Fair brought together eminent Indian and international speakers, with proven capabilities in toy design and manufacturing through panel discussions and webinars.  The panel discussion on “Role of Augmented Reality/ Virtual Reality in Electronics Toys” explored the developments in augmented reality, virtual reality and mixed reality (collectively known as XR) and their impact on the toy industry right from production and manufacturing to retail and marketing. A webinar on “Use of Open Ended and Gender-Neutral toys in Early Childhood Development” highlighted the power and value of “play” in child's development years, introducing toys in early childhood centers and creating pedagogy with toys as educational tools. The webinar on “Development of Multisensory Toys for Children with Special Needs” brought to fore the need to build and develop inclusive and multi-sensory products that help in the development of children and children with special needs. Other activities on first day of the event included a demo on Embracing Robotics, Artificial Intelligence and Drone Technologies in the Toy Industry by drone companies, IIT & IISc students, Activity for School Children on Importance of Toys in Child's Development, Channapatna Toy Cluster craft demonstration and an activity on Making toys with locally available materials for playing with children from birth to six years by Mobile Crechés.