Parliament Question: GI-Tagged Kondapalli Toys

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No.1506 ANSWERED ON 28/07/2026 GI-TAGGED KONDAPALLI TOYS 1506. SHRI KESINENI SIVANATH Will the Minister of COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY ¼okf.kT; ,oa m|ksx ea=h½ be pleased to state: (a) whether any assessment has been conducted under the Districts as Export Hubs (DEH) initiative regarding the availability of raw materials, export constraints and supply-chain requirements of the GI-tagged Kondapalli Toys cluster in Andhra Pradesh; (b) if so, the details and findings thereof, if not, the reasons therefor; (c) the details of funds sanctioned, released and utilised for promotion of Kondapalli Toys under the Districts as Export Hubs, One District One Product and other Central export promotion schemes during the last three years, year-wise; (d) whether the Government proposes to establish a Common Facility Centre, design and testing laboratory or export facilitation centre for Kondapalli Toys in Andhra Pradesh, if so, the details thereof, including the proposed timeline; and (e) the details of design development programmes, technology upgradation workshops and export promotion initiatives conducted for Kondapalli artisans during the last three years? ANSWER okf.kT; ,oa m|ksx ea=ky; esa jkT;ea=h ¼Jh ftfru izlkn½ THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY (SHRI JITIN PRASADA) (a) to (e) The Districts as Export Hubs (DEH) initiative of the Department of Commerce, implemented through the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), seeks to decentralize export promotion efforts by making every district an active stakeholder in the country's export growth. Under this initiative, an institutional mechanism has been established in the form of State Export Promotion Committees (SEPCs) in all States/UTs and District Export Promotion Committees (DEPCs) at the district level, chaired by the District Collector/Magistrate. Products and services with export potential have been identified in 734 districts across the country, and draft District Export Action Plans (DEAPs) have been prepared for 590 districts. The DEH initiative supplements the One District One Product (ODOP) initiative of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade and provides an operational framework for promoting exports of products identified under the ODOP initiative. 1The tasks entailed under the DEH initiative include: identification of products and services with export potential in each district, including GI-tagged and traditional craft products; preparation and periodic review of the DEAP adopted for promoting exports of such products and services; assessment of production and cluster strengths, availability of raw material, current export performance and supply-chain linkages; identification of gaps relating to aggregation, design and product development, quality, certification, testing, packaging, logistics connectivity and buyer linkages, along with corresponding action points; hand-holding of new and existing exporters through outreach, capacity-building and export-sensitization programmes; facilitation of market access through buyer-seller meets, exhibitions and e-commerce onboarding; and, importantly, convergence of the ongoing schemes and programmes - including the financial assistance available thereunder - of Central Ministries/Departments, Export Promotion Councils, Commodity Boards and State Governments. Export and district- level data and the DEAPs are placed in the public domain including on the DGFT website. The export potential of Kondapalli Toys, a GI-registered handicraft of NTR District, Andhra Pradesh, has accordingly been assessed as part of this exercise through consultations in the DEPC. The DEAP supports the value-chain requirements of the cluster, including raw material (Tella Poniki softwood in case of such toys) availability, design and product development, quality and safety certification, packaging and buyer linkages, together with the action points for the concerned agencies. The Kondapalli Toys cluster draws support from ongoing Central and State schemes, including the Scheme of Fund for Regeneration of Traditional Industries (SFURTI) of the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, under which the Kondapalli Wooden Toy Cluster has been approved with provision for common facility and common production infrastructure, tool-kits, skill development and market linkage support. National Handicrafts Development Programme (NHDP) and the Comprehensive Handicrafts Cluster Development Scheme (CHCDS) of the Ministry of Textiles provides for design and technology upgradation workshops, artisan skilling, participation in domestic and international fairs and marketing support. Under the Market Access schemes of the Department of Commerce, Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH) organizes international exhibitions, reverse buyer- seller meets and the India Toy Fair; the Niryat Bandhu Scheme of DGFT mentors first- time exporters; besides the complementary initiatives such as the ODOP storefront on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM), e-commerce onboarding drives and engagement with Indian Missions abroad. Artisans of the cluster are also facilitated for GI authorized-user registration and Pehchan card enrolment. ***** 2