China on mind, PM Modi seeks Indian toy story

NEW DELHI: Barely days before the BIS standard kicks in for all toys including imported ones, PM Modi on Saturday held a meeting with senior ministers and officials to discuss ways to boost manufacturing and global imprint of Indian toys.


This is being seen as yet another bid to discourage imports from China as India is one of the largest importers of

Chinese toys

. Nearly 70% of imported toys are from China. The total value of imported toys was around Rs 4,000 crore in 2019-20, which is four fold more than what India exports.


"India is home to several toy clusters and thousands of artisans who produce indigenous toys which not only have cultural connect but also help in building life-skills and psychomotor skills among children at an early age," Modi said and added, "such clusters should be promoted through innovative and creative methods."

Laying emphasis on the fast growing digital gaming arena, PM said India should tap the huge potential in this area and lead the international digital gaming sector by developing games that are inspired from Indian culture and folk tales. The PM has also suggested that youth should be engaged to come up with innovative designs and toys that can instill a sense of pride towards national goals and achievements. Sources said the government is looking at options such as holding national toy festivals and a network of toy labs in its bids to promote domestic toys.

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