The toy industry in India has asked the government to suspend a Quality Control Order (QCO) issued recently, for at least a year, failing which the industry would be forced to shut shop.
“The government has been rightly directing the Indian toy industry to become more competitive, especially in the global arena,” the All India Toys & Baby Products Association said in a statement. “However, this cannot happen instantly, and the industry would also need the support of the government to enable ease of doing business in the country,” the association added.
The QCO order issued by the government in February 2020 is a move in the right direction. However, the complexity of Scheme-1 of the QCO and the challenges in adhering to its September 1, 2020 timeline “will have a devastating impact,” it said.
The government must constructively engage with all the stakeholders of the industry to formulate a comprehensive policy for domestic and overseas manufacturers based on the rules that are already in place since 2017, it said.
