Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday called for making India the next global hub for manufacturing and sourcing of toys by attracting investments in the sector and promoting exports.

Modi made the statement while virtually inaugurating the four-day India Toy Fair 2021.

Addressing more than 1,000 exhibitors, Modi called for bringing out the hidden potential of the toy industry in India and to create an identity for it as a big part of the campaign for AtmaNirbhar Bharat, or a self-reliant India.

''This first toy fair is not just a business or economic event. This program is a link to strengthen the country's age-old culture of sports and cheer,'' he said.

Research on toys has been going since the era of Indus Valley civilization, Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa, he said.

Modi appealed to the country's toy manufacturers to make toys that are better for both ecology and psychology! He asked them to make toys using things that can be recycled and less plastic.

''We can take the world back towards eco-friendly toys, through our software engineers computer games can bring the stories of India to the world'', he said. But despite all this, today India's share in the $ 100 billion global toy market is very small. 85 per cent of the toys in the country are sourced from abroad, '' he stated. He stressed the need to change this situation.

Efforts are being made to strengthen the possibilities of toy tourism, Modi said. Toyathon-2021 was also organised to promote Indian sports based toys and more than 7000 ideas were brainstormed.