The 33rd CII Excellence Summit 2025 set an ambitious tone for India’s industrial future as leaders, policymakers, and over 1,000 quality champions gathered to outline a roadmap for transforming India into a developed nation by 2047.
Organised by the CII Institute of Quality, the summit emphasised quality excellence, innovation, and inclusive growth as the pillars of India’s next manufacturing leap. A major highlight was the announcement of Mr. Venu Srinivasan, Chairman Emeritus of TVS Motor Company, as the winner of the prestigious CII Quality Ratna Award 2025.
Opening the summit, Mr. R Mukundan, President Designate of CII and MD & CEO of Tata Chemicals, said the call for 2047 is a call for action for every citizen and enterprise to contribute towards sustainable and globally competitive manufacturing.
Setting the theme, Mr. Soumitra Bhattacharya, Chairman of the CII Institute of Quality, stressed that India must raise manufacturing’s share of GDP to at least 25% — from the current 15–17% — which calls for a 15% annual growth rate in the sector. Achieving this, he said, requires relentless focus on continuous improvement, cost efficiency, speed, safety, and technology-enabled decision-making.
BIS Director General Mr. Sanjay Garg underscored that quality is now a strategic national necessity, not merely a technical parameter. He reiterated the Prime Minister’s call for Zero Defect, Zero Effect manufacturing and urged companies to treat standardisation as a strategic investment. Highlighting BIS’s transformation, he said more than 24,000 standards have been aligned with sustainability and digital advancement, positioning India to become a “standard-maker” rather than a “standard-taker.”
Accepting the Quality Ratna Award, Mr. Srinivasan said that quality begins with trust — trust in employees, customers, and values. “Designs should start with a deep understanding of customer needs. Provide value in every product or service, and live by your values. Employees take care of customers, and trust begins with them,” he said.
Speaking on innovation, Mr. Tarun Sharma, Deputy Managing Director of EXIM Bank of India, noted India’s rise from 81st to 38th place in the Global Innovation Index over the last decade but cautioned that R&D spending remains low at 0.64% of GDP. He warned that resisting AI, digital twins, robotics, and advanced technologies could cost India $270 billion by 2030 and $1 trillion by 2047. He highlighted 25 focus sectors and clusters — spanning auto, electronics, pharma, petrochemicals, electricals, textiles and more — where India must accelerate technology adoption to stay competitive.
The overarching message from the Summit was unambiguous: India’s journey from Make in India to Make for the World will be built on uncompromising quality, innovation, and global standards. The path to Viksit Bharat 2047 begins with excellence — and the momentum has already begun.