Yogi Adityanath (file photo) | Photo credit: ANI
Lucknow: The Yogi Adityanath government plans to establish a ‘Toy City’ along the Yamuna Highway in the state.
The decision to speed up planning came a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi fought for a local toy industry on his “Mann ki Baat” radio show.
Uttar Pradesh does not have an established toy industry as such, although Jhansi toys have been included in the “One district, one product” scheme.
MSME Additional Chief Secretary Navneet Sehgal said that around 70 entrepreneurs have shown interest in establishing toy units in the state. “We have even prepared a draft basic proposal for it and now we are working to establish a toy town,” he said.
The sources said that the state government would provide subsidized land under the MSME provisions and would also arrange for the raw material needed for the toy industry.
The toy industry in the country is worth about Rs 10 billion, and according to the International Market Analysis, Research and Consulting Group, India’s share of the global toy industry is only 0.5 percent. .
In the Indian market, locally made toys account for only 12 percent. Most of the toys are imported from China and other countries.
Varanasi, which is the parliamentary constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is known for its wooden toys that have lost their shine over the years.
Dr Rajnikant, a Padma Shri awardee who works for the conservation and promotion of traditional crafts, said: “Around 3,000 artisans, including artisans and artisans, make a living making wooden toys in Varanasi.”
He said that wooden toys are exported to the United States, Russia, Latin American countries, European countries, including Germany and Spain, various countries in Southeast Asia and the Gulf.
Artisans, however, feel they are lagging behind when it comes to promoting and advertising their products.
Raghuveer, a toy maker, said: “What we need is an aggressive marketing policy to popularize our toys. The government should lend a hand because this cannot be done individually.”
Local artisans make traditional wooden toys, including wooden utensils, spinning top, small wooden birds, and animals. They also carve many decorative elements out of wood. These are used especially on the occasions of Shri Krishna Janmashtami and Deepawali.
Lacquer and wooden toys manufactured in Varanasi, Sonbhadra, Chandauli and Mirzapur were awarded the Geographical Indication (GI) label in 2015.
