The Quality Council of India (QCI), a Government of India body which propagates the adoption and adherence to quality standards in all important spheres of activities, organised the 11th edition of its flagship event- National Quality Conclave (NQC) 2016. The two day event was based on the theme ‘Improving Quality for our 125 Crore Citizens’. The second day of the event saw MSME Minister Kalraj Mishra speaking on the ambitious Zero Effect Zero Defect project. The conclave also saw the presence of Amitabh Kant, NITI Aayog CEO.
Addressing the audience, MSME Minister Kalraj Mishra said, “Today, the policy of Zero Effect Zero Defect has gained a lot of attention and importance. Through its implementation, the manufacturing sector can thrive in the country. Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi has the vision of making India a manufacturing hub and the ZED project is a boost to this vision. The establishment of small and medium enterprises is necessary for the Make in India campaign and for the overall progress of the country. Our manufactured products should be at par with international standards and should be able to compete with global products.”
Speaking further, he elaborated, “The manufacturing of the MSMEs need to get clearance on 20 parameters and the Zero Effect Zero Defect maturity model in association with ISI gives certification to these enterprises. The Zero Effect Zero Defect maturity model not only provides certification but also gives financial assistance to the MSMEs. There are 5 levels on which they are rated- bronze, silver, gold, platinum and diamond. The financial help is different for these various levels.”
Continuing the discussion on ZED, Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog said, “I congratulate Quality Council of India for this unique initiative of Zero Effect Zero Defect as this will take our MSMEs to global standards and enable them to be a part of the global supply chain and penetrate global markets.”
The event brought together over 1000 leaders from varied industries on a common platform, providing them an opportunity to share and discuss new ideas to promote best quality practices in various sectors. Besides ZED, the event witnessed sessions on a wide range of topics like Propagating Quality to the Grass Root Level in India, Swachh Bharat, Enough Clean Water, Food Safety, Empowering through Education, Quality of Care for Universal Health Coverage, Addressing Private Sustainability Standards enabling International Trade, Industry 4.0, Strengthening Patients’ Safety: Focus on Injections Safety, Regulatory Reforms in Drugs and Medical Devices among many others.
The event was inaugurated by Jayant Sinha, Minister of State, Civil Aviation along with Suresh Prabhu, Minster of Railways who joined the inaugural session via live video conference. The inaugural session also witnessed the signing of a MoU between Quality Council of India and Food Industry Capacity & Skill Initiative (FICSI) for the design of a framework for certification of individuals in the food sector.
Suresh Prabhu commented, “Railways as a transport service is used by a large population and thus, quality plays a key role to ensure the smooth journey of its passengers. Considering the fact that the number of passengers are increasing day by day, it is important for the quality of services are of high standards and match the expectations of the travelers.”
Speaking at the inaugural session Jayant Sinha said, “As we try and improve what we are doing in the delivery of public services, quality has to permeate everything and we have to continuously raise our standards so that we can meet the aspirations of our 125 crore citizens. We as a government have to work towards meeting these expectations and aspirations of the people of our country.”
The National Quality Conclave 2016 also hosted the QCI-DL Shah Quality Awards. The Awards recognised and felicitated successful projects of an organisation that have resulted in continuous improvement of products and/or services, better and effective operations as well as increased customers/stakeholders satisfaction.
