NITI Aayog member VK Saraswat emphasized that quality in the present context is getting so pronounced that if you (Industry) want to get Atmanirbharta and competitiveness, it is not just producing goods and services but producing quality goods and services which only will bring competitiveness to us.

Addressing a virtual FICCI session ' Saraswat said, "Disruptive technologies are changing the scenario of manufacturing sector in the country and quality plays an important role in that. In the past, quality was synonymous with control, compliance and cost but today it has been redefined to meet the different industrial challenges."

He further stated that we need to involve quality into company's operative management and people system. We have to build managerial capabilities to lead the culture of quality on the front line, he added.

Saraswat said that Industry 4.0 projects must be aligned with the strategies and goals of the organization. "Investments in competence, development of staff in organization must be done to understand the implications of Industry 4.0," he said.

Saraswat also said that the contribution of the services sector in the Indian economy is more as compared to the manufacturing sector.

"Even in the services sector, quality is very important. Emerging technologies and our concept of sustainability are making the relevance of Total Quality Management (TQM) imperative. Today's TQM is a flexible system with a customer centric focus which is well integrated and aligned," he said.

To make TQM more efficient, Dr Saraswat emphasized on '7 S' - Structures, Strategies, Systems, Styles, Staff, Skills and Shared values.

Referring to the growth in Industrial 4.0, he said that we should focus on Quality 4.0 as well. 'Quality 4.0 will be drive by innovation which means customers, suppliers and society are integrated with a focus on data and new emerging technologies.

This will make Industry 4.0 more proactive and provide the best products in the competitive market, he added.

He also emphasized that increased awareness about Quality 4.0 is the need of the hour and further research should be done to fully understand the long-term consequences for humans.