The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), in collaboration with C-DAC, the Indian Toy Industries, and the LEGO Group, celebrated the convocation of the first batch of engineering graduates under the innovative initiative, ‘Development of Electronics and IT-based Control and Automation Solutions for Consumer Electronic Goods (Toy Industry)’. This program aims to bolster the Indian electronic toys industry by equipping young engineers, particularly from under-represented communities, with specialized skills in toy design and development.
The year-long program provided hands-on training in designing and developing electronic toys. The first six months were spent in dedicated toy labs at C-DAC-Noida, followed by six months of industry training. Participants, selected from across India, including SC/ST and NER communities, received a monthly stipend of ₹25,000. The program also featured global exposure through webinars conducted by the LEGO Group, with Sam Coates, Head of Innovation (Interactive) at LEGO’s Creative Play Lab (CPL), sharing valuable insights and guidance.
At the ceremony, S. Krishnan, Secretary, MeitY, unveiled the Electronic Toy Hackathon (e-Toycathon), an initiative to encourage innovative toy designs. He emphasized the significant potential of electronics and IT in transforming India’s toy industry, highlighting the need to establish a dedicated Centre of Excellence (CoE) for electronic toys.
Key Highlights of the Ceremony:
- Global Knowledge Partnership: The LEGO Group collaborated with MeitY, with Sam Coates delivering webinars from October 2023 to March 2024, sharing CPL’s methodologies and providing feedback on student prototypes.
- Industry Support: Sanjay Mehndiratta, MD of Toys Zone, offered appointment letters to 10 trained engineers, marking their entry into the professional world.
- Encouraging Startups: Secretary, MeitY, outlined plans for fostering entrepreneurship and establishing a robust ecosystem to promote the Indian toy industry.
The convocation was attended by several dignitaries, including Bhuvnesh Kumar, Additional Secretary, MeitY; Sunita Verma, Group Coordinator, R&D in Electronics & IT; Vivek Khaneja, Executive Director, C-DAC Noida; Manu Gupta, Chairman, Toys Association of India; Vipin Nijhawan, MD, S.R. & Sons; and Bhavana Mandon, Country Manager, LEGO Group in India.
