Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry launched Swachh Toycathon on September 26, 2022. It is a unique competition that involves making toys from waste. The competition will be hosted on MyGov’s Innovative India portal. The knowledge partner for the initiative is the Center for Creative Learning, IIT Gandhinagar.
The competition will be open to individuals and groups who desire to bring and support new ideas and creativity. Manoj Joshi, the Housing and Urban Affairs secretary said that used toys should be collected, redeveloped, and resold. He said this should turn into a social movement as it is a step towards environmentally friendly toys.
The #SwachhToycathon has been launched by @Secretary_MoHUA today. It aims at reimagining toys by reimagining waste. Do participate in the challenge either as an individual or as a group if you think you can put #WasteToPlay. @SwachhBharatGov @DPIITGoI @mygovindia pic.twitter.com/7dZw2ufItB
Swachh Toycathon: Significance
- The Swachh Toycathon was introduced and launched under the Swachh Bharat Mission Urban initiative.
- The competition focuses to bring forth innovation in toy designs using dry waste.
- It will focus on effective and potential designs that can be replicated at a larger scale, and toys that comply with minimum safety standards.
- The demand for toys in India is increasing due to efficient economic growth, rising disposable incomes, and several innovations for the junior population.
National Action Plan for Toys 2020
- National Action Plan for Toys 2020 was introduced to boost the Indian toy industry including traditional handicrafts and handmade toys.
- The plan has the objective of establishing India as a global Toy hub.
- The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade along with 14 Ministries of Central Government is currently implementing several aspects of the National Action Plan for Toys.
What is Swachh Toycathon?
India has a very old legacy of artisanal games and toys. However, today the games and toys industry needs to be re-evaluated through a modern and climate-conscious lens. Swachh Toycathon is a competition being undertaken by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs under Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban (SBM-u 2.0) with the aim of ‘Rethinking the Indian toy industry”.