Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal had allayed the importance of producing quality products in substantial quantities if India had to be globally competitive. Addressing the Indian Foundation for Quality Management (IFQM) symposium on Wednesday, Goyal explained that the focus on quality would be exactly what sets India apart in global markets.
Goyal added that this focus on quality would meet domestic needs and also make India a competitor globally. “It will impact our ability to create jobs, expand economic activity, and sustain India’s economic growth,” he said. For the rest of the world to recognize India as a brand, the products and services from India have to be synonymous with quality.
The minister said that India faces challenges in adopting quality standards. He spoke of the initial opposition that quality control orders faced in the beginning. But made it clear that such opposition is necessary to be overcome if India were to have a sound economic future. “If we are seriously to make quality a sustainable movement for the next 20-25 years, without it, it will be tough to make India globally competitive,” he said. He added, “The aim would be for India to be specifically recognizable globally for producing quality products and services.“
Goyal also called for a mindset change. “The root cause is our thinking, the mindset of the nation,” he said. Companies that accepted quality standards enjoyed greater and faster growth and profitability. He said, while those refusing to accept it remained small players in the industry.
He then furnished statistics to prove how the government was keen on raising standards of quality. For a decade, the government increased quality control orders from 14, which covered 106 products to 174 covering 732 products. Industries, though resistant to start with, were asked to fall in line with such standards.
He narrated a success story of a small, local toy manufacturer using the example of the ‘resisting’ toy industry to introduce quality measures. This firm, he said, had stopped importing low-cost toys and has since become a successful exporter. Ever since it adopted quality standards. This shows, he said, how quality can help Indian industry and the economy in general.
The minister also urged the large industries to help SMEs upgrade their facilities to global standards. “Large industries must help 300 to 400 small players to improve their processes,” he explained.
Finally, Goyal paid tribute to Ratan Tata for his leadership in building a global conglomerate. That helped improve India’s image worldwide. Tata’s legacy, he said, serves as an example for industry leaders to follow.
ANI
