By TIOL News Service

NEW DELHI, OCT 17, 2024: UNION Minister of Commerce & Industry, Piyush Goyal during his valedictory speech at the Indian Foundation for Quality Management (IFQM) Symposium yesterday in New Delhi urged the industry captains and stakeholders in attendance to make quality the centrestage of the industry. He further urged the participants to make quality a default setting in product manufacturing and not an option for the customers.

Goyal praised IFQM for taking the industry-led initiative on quality and said that changing mindset is the largest impediment to India's adoption of quality. Goyal noted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has always put quality at the core of the Government's efforts in building the nation. He added that the PM's vision of ‘Zero Defect and Zero Effect' has been at the forefront of his governance for the past two terms to make India a developed nation. He stressed that the sustainable manufacturing practices moving towards a green economy will be the defining catalyst towards the journey of becoming a Viksit Bharat. On the Rs 1 lakh crore Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF), he said that through this fund the Government will be supporting innovation for the industry to make it a prerequisite alongside quality for a Viksit Bharat. 

Goyal mentioned that till 2014 there were only 14 Quality Control Orders (QCOs) covering 106 products, while in the last decade the Government has expanded to 174 QCOs covering 732 products. Emphasising on the effect quality can have on toy manufacturing, the Minister stated that introducing quality control has led to an increase in exports. He also said that for India to be recognised as a brand at the world stage, quality has to be given foremost importance. If it is coming from India it has to have an imprint of quality, that should be our aspirational goal, Goyal said.

The Union Minister invited industry leaders to partner with the Government and take quality to the MSME sector through the QCO ecosystem. He further urged the industry captains to share their best practices and persuade companies with technical manpower for aiding the Government's technical standards committees to align quality with global standards. He also called for a government, industry and academia partnership with the quality control regulators working to solve difficulties manufacturers have in adopting good quality standards.

Goyal also asked the participants to develop a sense of duty towards Viksit Bharat and said that the country's export competitiveness will not come from subsidies rather an Atmanirbhar Bharat will come from a self-reliant India. Quality is not our job, it is our duty, he said.