India should be counted on to produce products and services at the highest levels globally, if it is to achieve its goals of economic, social, infrastructural, and inclusive growth—the main purpose of Viksit Bharat, Natarajan Chandrasekaran, chairman, Tata Group, on Thursday.

Chandrasekaran, who was speaking at the second symposium of the Indian Foundation For Quality Management (IFQM), said that to achieve the purpose of Viksit Bharat, the stakeholders work closely with the vision of the PM in multiple dimensions. “Such a vision requires the development of an entire ecosystem across all stakeholders. It cannot be done by a particular company or a particular sector to achieve excellence,” he said.

According to Chandrasekaran, India is taking this initiative at a time when the world is facing several challenges, including macroeconomic instability, geopolitical conflicts that lead to supply-chain and production issues, and workforce mobility. “During this period, India is implementing several reforms. The industry needs to rise to the occasion in terms of achieving the vision of Viksit Bharat,” he said.

He also recounted that IFQM was founded a couple of years ago with the single objective to achieve manufacturing and service excellence in terms of quality and innovation across India’s ecosystem. “It is very important for our nation’s progress under the leadership of PM Modi and his vision of Viksit Bharat…one of the pillars that I have to focus on is quality and excellence that needs to be achieved in manufacturing,” he said.

Chandrasekaran also averred that unless the integration of all stakeholders happens towards the common goal of achieving the highest global standards of quality, excellence will suffer because what we will get is the outcome based on the capability of the weakest link. “In the last 12 months, IFQM has assembled a pool of experts with deep industry with deep industrial expertise,” he said, acknowledging the work done by IFQM.

He began his address to the congregation by heaping praise on Nirmala Sitharaman, the Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs. “(She) is spearheading India’s economic growth and prosperity to become the fastest-growing economy in the world, and rolling out economic reforms at a pace that is enabling us to see an all-round development,” he said, before exhorting the crowd to give a round of rapturous applause for the work undertaken by the finance minister.