Toycathon 2021 Grand Finale
- NITIE, Mumbai, is hosting Toycathon 2021 Grand Finale, an event conducted by Govt. of India to promote indigenous toy industry.
- Around 10 teams from different parts of India have confirmed their participation.
- It is being organised jointly by Ministry of Education in coordination with five other Ministries.
- Other five ministries are, Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD), Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises, and Ministry of Textiles.
- Ministry of Education’s Innovation Cell at All India Council for Technical Education is acting as nodal agency for organizing Toycathon 2021.
Objective:
- Stressing upon PM Modi’s ‘Vocal for Local’ in Toy Industry, Ministry of Education mooted the idea of multi-track nation-wide inter-ministerial toycathon.
- It is an effort aimed at making India a hub for ideation and production of toys.
- Toycathon 2021 is aimed at boosting the toy industry in India to help it capture a wider share of the toy market.
Initiatives to promote domestic toy industry:-
- Approval to eight toy manufacturing clusters for manufacturing toys made of wood, lac, palm leaves, bamboo and fabric.
- Under National Education Policy 2020 toy- making will be introduced to students from the sixth standard onwards.
- National Action Plan for Indian Toy Story to boost local manufacturing and incentivise toy and handicraft manufacturers.
Significance:
- Toys can be an excellent medium to further the spirit of ‘Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat’
- “Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat” was announced by the Prime Minister in 2015 to enhance the understanding and bonding between the States, thereby strengthening the unity and integrity of India.
- It will help in promoting the use of educational toys in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
- It will create an ecosystem for the domestic Toy industry and the local manufacturers, tapping the untapped resources and utilizing their potential.
- It will help in reducing toy imports.
- Though the toy market in India is worth USD 1 billion, 80% toys are imported."