The Virtual Toy Fair Extended upto 4th March
Minister of Commerce and Industry, Railways, Consumer Affairs, and Food & Public Distribution, Shri Piyush Goyal today said that toys can become a symbol to demonstrate India’s Quality, Uniqueness, Innovation, Eco-friendliness and Thrill (QUIET) of Indian Toys. Speaking at the closing ceremony of the India Toy Fair (TITF) 2021, Shri Goyal said that Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi initiated this movement as a part of Aatmanirbhar Bharat to inculcate the true potential of toys and to develop the ecosystem of toys in India. The potential the toy industry holds to help our children evolve in their formative years was recognised by PM, he added. Secretary, Textiles and other senior officers of GoI and State Govts also attended the virtual closing ceremony.
The Minister said that India Toy Fair (TITF)2021 has created a window of opportunity for our artisans, MSMEs, Startups, young designers & thinkers. The formula for success is to connect psychology to technology, and eco-friendly to eco-systems. Our toys not only showcase our rich culture and heritage but also have huge potential in the training of our children to develop their minds, he added.
Shri Goyal said that our mission is not only to make India Aatmanirbhar in toys, but also to become a global player with toys made and developed in India, helping create brand India across the world. He said that the Govt. has identified the Toy sector as one of the champion sectors, with a long term vision and plan to develop toy clusters in the country.
Speaking on the occasion, Secretary, Textiles Shri U.P. Singh announced that the virtual Toy Fair is being extended for two more days i.e., till 4thMarch, on popular demand. He also informed that it has been decided that after this virtual Toy Fair, 10-12 physical regional Toy Fairs will also be organized to promote indigenous toys.
The India Toy Fair also hosted a Toy Design Challenge. There were 225 entries in the Toy Design challenge in two categories: 1. Professional 2. Amateur. In each category, there were cash prizes of Rs. 1.0 lakh, Rs. 50,000 &
Rs.25,000 to the first, second and third prize winners and ‘Certificate’ of recognition. The Secretary, Textiles announced the names of the winners of Toy Design Challenge which are as follows:
- Professional category
First Prize: Aditya Gupta
Second Prize: Garima Kaushik
Third Prize: Aditi Ganpati
- Amateur Category
First Prize: Navya Shukla
Second Prize: Sanjana Ramakrishnan
Third Prize: Esha Vijayan
The India Toy Fair 2021 has been the first-of-its-kind inter-ministerial initiative with active participation of organizations associated with toys. The India Toy Fair-2021,on virtual platform, was inaugurated by the Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on 27th February, 2021to boost the toy manufacturing industry in India to encourage Aatmarnirbhar Bharat and vocal for local campaign. In his inaugural address the Prime Minister called for bringing out the hidden potential of the Indian toy industry. He highlighted the pedagogical potential of toys and their importance in learning and development of a child. He also highlighted that people do not only buy toys as a product but also want to connect with the experience associated with that toy. He urged the industry to make toys that are not only good for ecology but also for psychology. During the inauguration ceremony the Prime Minister also interacted with artisans from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, Channapatna in Karnataka and Jaipur in Rajasthan and encouraged them to adopt product innovation while preserving the heritage of traditional toy-making.
Over 20 lakh visitors from over 110 countries and 30 Indian States and UTs registered for the fair. More than 39 lakh visitors have visited the fair so far.1,074 exhibitors from across India showcased their products at the fair. 41 unique panel discussions, webinars and activities were organised with 103 speakers including 10 global CEOs/co-founders.
During the CEO conclave, held on the first day of the event, 10 Global CEOs and two Union Ministers, the Minister of Textiles Smt Smriti Zubin Irani and Minister of Commerce and Industry Shri Piyush Goyal, came together to discuss the potential of the Indian toy industry. The Webinars and panel discussions spread across four days provided viewers with novel and unique insights of the toy industry. The sessions over the four days focused on the broader themes of global trends in the toy industry, use of toys in pedagogy and education and role of design for product development and of technology for value addition.
16 immersive activities over the four days engaged the users. 8 craft demonstrations by artisans of traditional toy clusters – Varanasi, Channapatna, Kondapalli, Jaipur, Narsapura, Kinnal, Asharikandi and Etikopakka, provided users with insights on the art and craft of traditional toy making.
The fair also included thematic workshops on toy making and online activities for Children, a virtual tour of doll museum, virtual visit to a toy manufacturing factory and a demo on drone technologies by IIT and IISc.
The 1,074 exhibitors that showcased their products at the virtual exhibition represented 30 States and UTs, 60 clusters including 13 traditional clusters and 15 product segments ranging from traditional to modern. The exhibitors included artisans, schools, start-ups, MSMEs, global conglomerates and other industry players.