Toycathon 2021

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Context

Recently, the Union Education Minister and the Union Minister for Textiles and Women & Child Development jointly launched the Toycathon 2021 and Toycathon Portal.

Key Highlights

• India, despite being a home of many globally popular games such as Chess, Ludo, Snakes and Ladders is not among leading developers and manufacturers of toys.

  • Currently, India’s toy market stands at around 1.5 Billion USD, which primarily is dominated by imported toys (mainly 70-80% from China).

• Under the ‘AatmaNirbhar Bharat Abhiyan’ initiated by our Hon’ble PM, Toycathon-2021 is conceived to challenge India’s innovative minds to conceptualize novel Toy and Games. 

• It is a special kind of hackathon where students and teachers from schools and colleges, design experts, toy experts and start-ups will crowd source ideas for developing toys and games based on Indian culture, ethos, folklores, heroes and value systems.

• Toycathon 2021 is an inter-ministerial initiative organized by Ministry of Education’s Innovation Cell.

• Toycathon 2021, will majorly focus on conceptualizing new and innovative toys using local material which is economical, affordable, safe and environment friendly.

• It will focus on:

  • Boosting physical and mental fitness.

  • On promoting Vedic Mathematics.

  • Supporting missions like Swacch Bharat, BetiBachaoBetiPadhao, Environment Conservation, Climate Change, Digital India, Skill India, Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat.

  • Rediscovering and redesigning traditional Indian toys.

Significance 

• The launch of Toycathon is an effort to create an ecosystem for the domestic toy industry and the local manufacturers which will promote indigenous toy industry and reduce imports.

• It will also help our children to understand the ethos and values of Indian culture.

• Toys can be an excellent medium to further the spirit of ‘Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat’.

• It will help in promoting the use of educational toys in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

• It will greatly help India develop into a global hub for toys and games.