India has the potential to emerge a world economic super power. However, it has a long way to go to realize that potential. Of course, despite global slowdown, the Indian GDP is growing at 7-8 per cent which is the best among economies. In 2015 its growth rate surpassed that of China. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicts that India would retain the same growth rate till 2020.
Making these observations in his presidential address at the 15th NIQR National Convention with its theme “Skill India for Sustainable Global Quality” held in Chennai, Mr. R. Sivanesan, National President, NIQR, and Senior Vice President – SC – Quality, Ashok Leyland Ltd., said the Indian economy has shown resilience in the face of the global downtrend, and has stood up to be one of the fastest growing economies in the world. In the first half of 2014-15, India’s domestic consumption and investment contributed 57 per cent and 33.1 per cent respectively to the GDP. India is firmly on its way to catapulting into a global growth engine. This growth rate also makes it one of the fastest growing large economies in the world.
Though India is the most populous country, 50 per cent of its population is below 25 years and 60 per cent below 35 years. “We have an immense pool of talent and are known to make breakthrough innovations at a very low cost. One example is ISRO’s Mangalyaan which was successfully developed at a very low cost or the Mitticool fridge made of clay designed by an Indian engineer from Rajkot, costing roughly $50 with no electrical power.
Mr. Sivanesan further said that besides the frugal engineering concept, India has some of the world leading companies like Tata Steel, Asahi India and Brakes India Foundry, which have received the Deming Prize, one of the oldest and most widely recognized quality awards in the world.
India has the power of youth with an average age of 26 years but only two per cent of the total population constituted skilled manpower. There is need to build the nation’s Knowledge Capital. “If we are able to skill all our population by, say, 2030, then our GDP would have gained by three points. This is what the World Trade Organization is predicting.
Mr. Sivanesan concluded with an appeal to work towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mission of delivering best-in-class products and services, thus transforming India from a good country into a great country. He also lauded the commendable work rendered by NIQR’s dedicated team.
In his inaugural address, Mr. Srivats Ram, Managing Director, Wheels India Ltd., said that, apart from Yoga and Ayurveda, Indian auto components enjoy encouraging overseas demand. Indian consumers are generally conscious of quality and value for money.
Earlier, in his welcome address, Mr. S. Rajasekaran, Convention Chairman, NIQR, elaborated on the convention theme and stressed the importance of quality maintenance in all industry sectors.
Mr. Vinod K. Dasari, Managing Director, Ashok Leyland Ltd., who chaired the valedictory function, gave away Awards to seven select awardees.
The convention received special appreciation messages from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Minister for Skill Development, Mr. Rajiv Prathap Rudi.
The two-day convention had hectic deliberations and witnessed thought-provoking speeches by leading personalities from different fields. Those who spoke on the occasion were Dr. N. Ravichandran, Director, India Japan Lighting, and Chief Mentor, UCAL Fuel Systems, Mr. P. Kaniappan, Managing Director, Wabco India Ltd., Mr. Lokesh Pandey, Associate Vice President, JCB India Ltd., Mr. T. Sarangarajan, Senior Vice President – Operations, TAFE Ltd., Mr. S. Elango, Vice President – HR, Sundaram Clayton Ltd., Mr. Mukundan, General Manager – Assembly, Hyundai Motor India Ltd., Mr. A.S. Raju, Senior Vice President – SCM, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd., Dr. Jaidev Sanjeev, Partner, McKinsey, Mr. Gopi Koteeswaran, Chief Executive Officer, Latent View Analytics P. Ltd., Mrs. Sandhya Shekar, Advisor, KI & S Firm, Mr. N. Ramanathan, Independent Counseller, Quality Management, Mr. Hariharan. M, Vice President, Cognizant Technology Solutions, Mr. G.R. Janarthanan, Executive Director, India Pistons Ltd., Dr. Mrs. Thangam Meganathan, Chairperson, Rajalakshmi Group of Institutions, Mr. R. Mahadevan, Director, India Pistons Ltd., Dr. S. Ramakrishnan, Professor, VSSC – ISRO, Trivandrum, Dr. Capt. Suresh Bhardwaj, Director, MASSA Maritime Academy, Mr. M.S. Arun, Chief Executive Officer, NDR Infra, Mr. A. Krishnaswamy, Quality Consultant, Mrs. Vanitha Mohan, Chairperson, Siruthuli, Coimbatore, and HH. Swami Paramasukananda, Ramakrishna Math, Belur, Karnataka.
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