MLC and BJP leader P.V.N. Madhav has said that there are many traditional craftsmen families at Etikoppaka in the district, who depend on toy making for their livelihood. Visakhapatnam city has very good connectivity, and establishment of a toy manufacturing park will open up job opportunities for the craftsmen apart from contributing to the revenue of the government, he added.
Mr. Madhav has written to Union Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Nitin Jairam Gadkari, Union Minister for Commerce, Electronics, IT, Law and Justice Ravi Shankar Prasad and A.P. Minister for Industries, Commerce and IT Mekapati Gowtham Reddy on the need to tap the vast potential in toy manufacturing in the district as also in other parts of the country and the need to tap it.
Quoting figures given by the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), the MLC mentioned that annual turnover of the Indian toy industry is ₹25,000 crore. Of this, 65% was captured by the Chinese toy industry.
Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call for ‘Atma Nirbar Bharat’ and the ‘vocal for local’ concept, Mr. Madhav underlined the need for a national policy on toy making and constitution of an expert committee to make an in depth study and to set up toy parks/clusters in Visakhapatnam and other parts of the country.
The MLC drew the attention of Mr. Gowtham Reddy on the need to formulate a concrete toy manufacturing policy for the State toy manufacturing clusters and to set up a toy park in the State by 2023. Indian mythology concept video gaming industry startups could also be encouraged, he added.
