PM Narendra Modi's 'team up for toys' pitch a message to China

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday pitched for making India a toy hub in the world by realising the potentials of young startups, a remark which triggered barbs by Rahul Gandhi, who said while JEE/NEET aspirants wanted the PM to do ‘Pariksha Pe Charcha’, the PM did ‘Khilone Pe Charcha’.

In his monthly radio address, ‘Mann Ki Baat’ Modi called for increasing India’s share in the global toy market. Though Modi made no mention of it, the toy trade dominated by China and India is a key market for Chinese toys. He rued while the global toy industry is worth more than Rs 7 lakh crore, India currently has a very little share in it.

Read: India can become world's toy hub, time to be vocal about local toys: PM Narendra Modi

Recalling an anecdote about toys shared by Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, Modi said one of Tagore’s friends brought a big and beautiful “foreign toy” one day that led to children’s attention moving more on flaunting the toy than the game.

Rise in India’s share in the toy market will hurt the trade interests of China, whose ties with India have touched a new low after the Chinese incursions in various border areas with India.

Modis’ “team up for toys” pitch and asking the start-ups to “go vocal for local” is in sync with his other announcements to boost domestic production in areas in which India is highly dependent on China. Currently, China is the largest manufacturer and exporter of toy products, manufacturing over 70% of the world’s total toy trade. Modi had recently chaired a meeting aimed at boosting India’s share in the global toy trade.

Also Read: Students wanted to hear 'pariksha pe charcha' not 'khilone pe charcha': Rahul Gandhi

Modi, whose government has banned a number of Chinese apps, also chose the occasion to laud those who have developed indigenous mobile apps to leverage the technology in line with his focus on self-reliant India.

Modi talked about his deliberations with the Children University of Gandhinagar, Ministry of Women and Child Development, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Micro-Small and Medium Enterprises on how to make new toys available to the children and how India could become a big hub of toy production.

Modi lauded skilled artisans who possess expertise in making good toys and some parts of the country and also suggested making games based on the ideas and concepts of our history.

Recalling Mahatma Gandhi’s Non-cooperation movement, Modi said, “today, when we are trying to make the country self-reliant, we have to move with full confidence; and make the country self-reliant in every area. A seed that was sown in the form of the Non-cooperation movement, it is now the responsibility of all of us to transform it into a banyan tree of self-reliant India.”

Congress took a swipe tweeting “Arthvyavastha Ki Baat, @RahulGandhi ke saath” as the former Congress President, in the face, a mounting controversy on JEE-NEET exams said, “ JEE-NEET aspirants wanted the PM do ‘Pariksha Pe Charcha’ but the PM did ‘Khilone Pe Charcha’. #Mann_Ki_Nahi_Students_Ki_Baat”.

Rahul Gandhi, who will launch a video series on his social media platforms slamming Modi government’s performance on the economic front, also drew attention on “how the Modi Govt has destroyed Indian economy.”

In the first video that is to be launched tomorrow, Gandhi has accused the BJP government of having “made an assault on the economy of the unorganised sector through the three measures of ‘demonetisation, wrong GST and lockdown’.