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Bureau of Indian Standards publishes Indian Standards on safety aspects of Toys.
Indian Standards on safety aspects of Toys
- Bureau of Indian Standards published 10 Indian Standards on safety aspects of Toys related to physical safety, safety against chemicals, flammability, electrical safety etc.
- These standards prevent using unsafe and toxic materials in toy manufacturing.
- Out of these 10 standards, 7 are part of the Quality Control Order (QCO) on ‘Safety of Toys’.
- This Quality Control Order makes it mandatory that toys for children under 14 years of age conform to 7 Indian Standards for Safety of Toys and bear a Standard Mark (ISI Mark) under licence from BIS.
- This Government guideline came into force on 1st Jan 2021.
- No person is permitted to manufacture, import, sell or distribute, store, hire, lease or exhibit for sale toys which do not bear ISI Mark under a licence from BIS
Toy Industry in India.
- Recently, the Ministry of Commerce & Industry has informed that the import of toys has been down by 70% in the last three years, showing the robust growth of the toy sector in India.
- Toy sector growth in India
- The Indian toys market reached a US $1.35 billion value in 2021.
- The toy market is projected to reach US $2.73 billion by 2027, showing a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of 12.6% during 2022-2027.
- According to a FICCI-KPMG (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry)- report, the Indian toy market, which is currently estimated at $1 billion, has the potential to double itself by 2025.
- There is a high growth potential for India in exports of plastic toys and board games in the US, EU and the Middle East, among other markets.
Government Initiatives for growth of the Toy Sector
- National Toy Action Plan:
- The Government of India, in collaboration with 15 ministries, has developed a National Toy Action Plan to make the Indian toy industry more competitive.
- It is a big Make in India push for domestic toy manufacturing.
- Product Specific Industrial Cluster Development Programme:
- Aims to build toy clusters in a dedicated Special Economic Zone (SEZ) to help them become self-sustained ecosystems catering to export markets.
- Indigenous toy clusters:
- Several toy clusters, including the Lucknow Soft Toys Cluster and the Jodhpur Wood Craft Cluster, have been approved under the Scheme of Fund for Regeneration of Traditional Industries (SFURTI).
- Aatmanirbhar Bharat
- “Toys” was identified as one of the key sectors under Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan.
- Toycathon-2021
- It was launched to challenge India’s innovative minds to conceptualise novel toys and games based on Indian civilisation, history, culture, mythology, and ethos.
Bureau of Indian Standards
- BIS is the National Standard Body of India established under the BIS Act 2016.
- Objective: BIS for the harmonious development of standardisation, marking and quality certification of goods and for matters connected in addition to that or incidental to it.
- BIS has been providing traceability and tangibility benefits to the national economy in many ways –
- providing safe, reliable quality goods;
- minimising health hazards to consumers;
- promoting exports and imports substitutes;
- control over proliferation.
Pic Courtesy: freepik
Content Source: PIB