Vijayawada: Kondapalli toys to get facelift courtesy NIMSME

Vijayawada: The toymakers of Kondapalli in Krishna district are going to get additional boost with the initiative of Vijayawada Member of Parliament Kesineni Srinivas also known as Nani who sought the help of National Institute of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (NIMSME) to provide additional skills to the toymakers at the same time to find better marketing opportunities with its help. The professional toymakers of Kondapalli, who have been making the popular toys for the last over eight decades, will be given better training to improve their skills with modern technology courtesy NIMSME, which would also help them to get training in marketing techniques.

The Central government had allocated Rs 1.85 lakh for this scheme. However, as per rules, the Centre would bear only 90 per cent of the funds and the rest of the amount need to be borne by the toy artistes.

Keeping in view their financial constraints, Kesineni Nani allotted Rs 42.5 lakh from the MPLAD funds as the share of the toymakers. An action plan has been formed by creating Kondapalli Sphoorthy Toy Workers' Society. A new building would be constructed for the society which would be a platform to launch the scheme.

The AP government had allotted land for the toymakers way back in 1963 and constructed a building for the toymakers. However, the building is now in a dilapidated condition. Since the Sphoorthy scheme includes the facility for a building for the society, the old one would be demolished to build a new one in its place.

The new building would be big enough to give place to at least 25 shops for the toymakers. As part of the Centre's scheme, the toymakers would form Kondapalli Sphoorthy Toy Workers society through which the toymakers would learn better skills to make toys with the help of modern technology. The experts from NIMSME would provide necessary training. The toymakers could store necessary raw material, make toys and sell them through the society.

Kesineni Nani said that it would be a good effort to keep Kondapalli toys alive for the next generation. The present generation is moving away from a great art form and it is high time something was done to take it forward. He said that at present 70 families are depending upon the toy-making in Kondapalli. It has been under consideration for the last two years to help these families. With the cooperation of the Centre the efforts took shape now, he said.

Meanwhile, Mylavaram MLA Vasanta Krishna Prasad and district collector A Md Imtiaz laid foundation stone for the Kondapalli Toys Sales Emporium at Kondapalli on Friday. The collector said that the emporium, which would be constructed at a cost of Rs 70 lakh, would help promote sales of toys of Kondapalli which is undertaken under the Central government Sphoorthy scheme.

Vasanta Krishna Prasad said that the new generation of artistes would come forward with this initiative. DRDA PD Srinivasa Rao and toymakers of Kondapalli participated in the programme.