In his ‘Mann Ki Baat’ address on Sunday, 30 August, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that while it is time for festivals, there is a “sense of discipline” due to COVID-19.
“This is a time for festivals but at the same time, there is also a sense of discipline among people due to the COVID-19 situation. We have seen unprecedented restraint, simplicity in our festivals during COVID times,” PM Modi added.
His address comes at a time when India reported nearly 79,000 new COVID-19 cases, taking the tally in the country to 35,42,734. The death toll increased by 948 to 63,498 on 30 August.
Noting that the global toy industry is worth over Rs 7 lakh crore but India's share is very small in the sector, PM Modi gave a clarion call to be "vocal for local toys", stressing on the need for making the country a toy hub.
The prime minister said that the toy industry is very diverse and some of the regions in India are being developing as toy clusters to make the nation a toy hub. Channapatna in Karnataka's Ramanagara, Kondapalli in Andhra Pradesh' Krishna, Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu, Dhubri in Assam, and Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh are among the places in India which are being developed in the toy sector.
"Let us team up for toys. This industry is quite diverse. We should focus on this industry. Small industries, MSMEs as well as big industries also come in its range. The entire country will have to work hard together to take the toy industry forward," Modi added.
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