Union Minister of Textiles and Women and Child Development, Smriti Zubin Irani has urged the research bodies working under the aegis of Ministry of Education to look into the prospects of sustainable toys. Smriti Irani and Minister of State for Education Sanjay Dhotre virtually inaugurated Toycathon 2021 grand finale on June 22. 

Toycathon 2021 was jointly launched by the Ministry of Education, WCD Ministry, MSME Ministry, DPIIT, Textile Ministry, I&B Ministry and AICTE on 5th January 2021 to crowd-source innovative toys and games ideas.

Smriti Irani suggested that Ministry of Education and Ministry of Women and Child Development in collaboration with NIMHANS can do a Research paper on the impact of Toys on the neurological development of children, specially the  children who are challenged with some disorders and also on ensuring that the toys are used as an effective methodology to help those children come out of these challenges towards amiable solutions.

She expressed her concerns that 85% toys that our children are playing with are imported and are predominantly made of plastic. Drawing inspiration from Prime Ministers global commitment for sustainable development, Minister invited research bodies and toy manufacturers to make sustainable toys.