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Now buy Channapatna toys at Bengaluru railway station
Bengaluru Railway station will be the first in the state to sell Channapatna toys under the 'One Station, One Product' (OSOP) scheme announced in the Union budget for 2022-23.
The Krantivira Sangolli Rayanna Railway Station of Bengaluru will sell 'Channapatna toys' under the 'One Station, One Product' (OSOP) scheme as was announced in the Union budget for 2022-23 by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
Bengaluru Divisional Railway Manager Shyam Singh on Friday inaugurated the 'Stall of Channapatna toys.' Channapatna toys are special wooden toys and dolls manufactured in Channapatna town popularly known as "Gombegala Ooru" (Toy Town) in Ramanagara district of Karnataka.
Even the Chief Minister showed his excitement over the inauguration. He tweeted saying, “It is heartening to see the stall for our Channapattana toys, the wooden toys and dolls with GI tag in KSR Bengaluru Railway Station under '1 Station-1 Product' scheme. This project will support our Artisans. These Stalls would also be ambassador of our culture & art.”
The toys have got the Geographical Indicator (GI) tag, the South Western Railway (SWR) said in a statement. The tender for operating the stall has been handed over to V Prakash, a toy maker from Channapatna.
"Bengaluru Division has allotted a stall on pilot basis for promotion of Channapatna toys to V Prakash, a local craftsman associated with Channapatna Handicrafts Artists Association,” the statement read.
It further said that this initiative by Ministry of Railways is aimed to promote local products in Railway stations under Atma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan as envisaged by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make India a self-reliant nation.
The objective of the initiative is to encourage local craftsmen and artisans to market their products more effectively. "KSR Bengaluru is the first Railway Station in the state to market the famed Channapatna Toys," the SWR said.
In a note, SWR has said, “We have invited applications from manufacturers of the toys, especially from ‘Gombegala Ooru’ (toy town) of Karnataka. The pilot project will be launched on Friday for 15 days. The registration fee is Rs. 500. It will be a functional stall with easy access to passengers,” an SWR official told a news website.
“One temporary stall will be provided by the railways. If more than one application is received, allotment will be done on the basis of a draw of lots,” the official added.
In the future, SWR is said to have plans to implement this scheme in other stations that come under its jurisdiction in Karnataka and Goa.
(With Inputs from PTI)
