CM lays foundation for Aequs Toy Cluster at Koppal

Karnataka Chief Minister B SYediyurappa on Saturday laid the foundation for what is billedas the first of its kind toy manufacturing cluster in thecountry at Koppal, which intends to attract Rs 5,000 croreinvestment and generate direct and indirect employment to anestimated one lakh people.

The Aequs Toy Cluster is part of the state government'sendeavour to establish Karnataka as a toy manufacturing hub ofIndia and to give a fillip to the toy sector, the stateindustries department said.

''Koppal toy cluster is a landmark milestone for theKarnataka Government's product-specific industrial clusterdevelopment programme.

This toy cluster intends to attract an investment of Rs5,000 crores and generate direct and indirect employment to anestimated 1lakh people in this region,'' Yediyurappa said.

The toy manufacturing industry is labour-oriented andmost of the workers are women, a release quoted him as havingsaid ''Hence, this toy cluster starting at Koppal is a bold steptowards empowering women.

To empower women, the Karnataka government has allowedwomen to work at night,'' he said.

Karnataka is the third-largest market for toys in India(USD 159 million) 9.1 per cent of the national market The department said the state has invited domestic andglobal toy makers, in line with the Prime Minister's vision ofboosting toy manufacturing in India.

Karnataka is poised to emerge as a leading toy-makingcluster due to the robust ecosystem the state has created tosupport toy-making industries, the industries department said.

The state has supported and nurtured Tool Manufacturing &precision engineering (TMTP), polymers manufacturing clusters Bengaluru, Dharwad, Tumkuru and Mysuru, robust designcapacity and testing certification agencies in Bengaluru,Dharwad and Koppal and GTTC (Government Tool Room & TrainingCentre).

''Koppal has a tradition of making traditional toys suchas Kinnala toys.

It is against this backdrop that we aim to make Koppal acountry's toy-making hub by promoting this art.

I want to thank Aequs, and other toy industries who havejoined hands with government initiatives, Industries MinisterJagadish Shettar said.

He said the foundation of this toy cluster has played avital role in unlocking Karnataka's toy-making capacity today.

The Koppal toy cluster will be a one-stop-destination,facilitating globally competitive and reliable manufacturingsolutions with co-located facilities.

It is an internationally competitive self-sustainedecosystem, catering to all infrastructure requirements of thetoy industry, officials said.

The global toy industry experienced continued growth,reaching a value of USD 90.7 billion in 2019, posting a 0.5per cent growth over 2018.

On the other hand, India's toy industry has grown at aCAGR of 15.9 per cent during 2011-19 to USD 1.75 billion in2019, Industries Department Principal Secretary Gaurav Guptasaid.

''Karnataka's toy market grew at a CAGR of 17.54 per centbetween 2010 and 2017.

Currently, Karnataka is the third-largest market for toysin India. It constitutes 9.1 per cent of the national marketvalued at (USD 159 million), he said.

Karnataka also signed six Memorandum of Understandingwith toy makers and suppliers in the presence,the releasesaid.

PTI KSU APRADMINISTRATOR APRADMINISTRATOR

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