In line with the Atmanirbhar Bharat campaign launched by him, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday held a meeting with top functionaries of his government aiming to boost manufacturing and global imprint of Indian toys.

India is home to several toy manufacturing 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 at the meeting, according to an official statement.

He said such clusters should be promoted through innovative and creative methods, the statement added.

Significantly, the toy market is one of the several, flooded with Chinese products.

According to the official statement, the Indian toy market has huge potential and can bring a transformative change in the industry by promoting ‘Vocal for Local’ under Aatmanirbhar Bharat campaign. PM Modi said the focus should be on the use of technology and innovation and also towards manufacturing quality products that meet global standards.

Highlighting the importance of toys in moulding a child’s mind, the Prime Minister said toys aligned with Indian culture and ethos should be used as pedagogical tools across all anganwadi centres and schools for all-round development of children. He even 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.

Modi noted that toys can be an excellent medium to further the spirit of ‘Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat’ and exhorted that toys should reflect India’s value system and culturally established environment-friendly approach. He further suggested using tourism as a tool to promote India’s culture especially in regions which are renowned for handcrafted toys. The prime minister emphasized the need to organize hackathons for youth and students for innovations in toy technology and design, including online games, to reflect the Indian ethos and values.

Laying emphasis on the fast growing digital gaming arena, Modi 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