New Delhi, Mar 15 (IANS): As many as 97 per cent licences have been granted to micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) among toy manufacturing units by the government.

According to Commerce Ministry sources, out of the 1,097 licences granted by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) to toy manufacturing units till date, as many as 1,061 or 97 per cent of them have been granted to MSMEs.

This, sources said, has been done to promote startups and women entrepreneurs and also to facilitate domestic manufacturers, especially MSMEs.

BIS has given concessions in marking fees to micro units, startups and women entrepreneurs.

At the toy industry's request, BIS had decided to allow grant of licence to micro scale units manufacturing toys, without insisting on them establishing in-house testing facility for a period of one year.

Based on the industry's representation of seeking more time citing the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, this relaxation has been extended up to a period of three years, sources added.

The Safety of Toys is under compulsory BIS certification from January 1, 2021 as per the Toys (Quality Control) order 2020 issued by the Department of Promotion of Industry and the Internal Trade (DPIIT).