EPCH's 'India GI Fair', 'Khilona Fair' mark maiden success
EPCH's 'India GI Fair' and Khilona-India Toys and Games Fair' and India Expo Centre and Mart Ltd's 'Maa Shishu' and 'STEM Confex' concluded with a valedictory ceremony and 'Best Display Awards' with the presence of Chief Guest Anil Agrawal, Additional Secretary, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Govt of India along with Raj K Malhotra, Chairman, EPCH; Rakesh Kumar, Director General, EPCH and Chairman, IEML; members of Committee of Administration, EPCH and R K Verma, Executive Director, EPCH.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his message for the success of the fairs, called this an opportune time for every stakeholder of the 'Make in India' ecosystem to work on making the nation self-reliant in every sector. The fairs were visited by various dignitaries like Chandan Ram Das, Minister of Social Welfare, Minority Welfare, Student Welfare, Road Transport, MSME, Khadi and Village Industries, Govt of Uttarakhand; Dr Daya Shankar Mishra, Minister of State for Ayush (I.C) Govt of Uttar Pradesh and Former Member of Rajya Sabha and senior BJP leader, Vijay Goel.
"Buyers in good numbers visited and showed keen interest in sourcing toys, games and India's signature products. They expressed happiness on having visited the first edition of 'India GI Fair' with so much to see, learn and experience. Among toys and games, robotics, products from new start-ups and more have attracted many," said Raj Kumar Malhotra.
'India GI Fair' got buyers from the USA, Canada and many other countries. Visiting international included 'ToyRus' from Saudi Arabia; 'Playbox' from Sweden; 'Tiny Tree Toys' from South Africa and many more. 'Hamleys', 'Archies' and others were among volume retailers from India who visited.
"Exhibitors are happy with this new platform and look forward to future editions," shared R K Verma, who added that the concurrent fairs have provided a significant glimpse of India's strengths in multiple sectors and industries.
Two-panel discussions: 'Geographical Indication (GI) - Ecosystem and Initiatives for Brand Promotion through Market Linkages' and 'Reinventing the Future Toys - Design, Learning, Creativity, Entrepreneurship' brought forth expertise and knowledge sharing towards a collective vision for the future.
'The Maa-Shishu Expo' with advice and tips for holistic parenting and 'STEM conexpo', designed to spark participants' curiosity by providing a positive experiential opportunity for showcasing the emerging tech available in 'EdTech' were concluded with overwhelming responses.
An award ceremony to felicitate individuals and organisations of eminence and participants with the exemplary display was also held. Chief Guest Anil Agrawal gave away the awards. Among felicitations and awards, 'Lifetime Achievement Award' was given to Dr Rajani Kanth, Executive Director, Human Welfare Association, Varanasi, for his dedication and efforts in promoting GI crafts from India. The 'Institutional Awards' went to 'Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority' (APEDA); 'Spices Board'; 'Tea Board'; 'Coffee Board'; 'Cell for IPR Promotion and Management' (CIPAM); 'Toy Association of India' (TAI) and 'Geographical Indications Registry', Govt. of India. The 'State award for thematic display and group participation' were given to 'Jammu and Kashmir Trade Promotion Organisation' (JKTPO); 'Uttarakhand Handloom' and 'Handicraft Development Council' (UHHDC) and 'Visvesvaraya Trade Promotion Centre' (VTPC), Govt of Karnataka.
