Historical Background: Origin of Quality in India – 02

Historical Background: Origin of Quality in India – 02

============= 

India too witnessed urbanization and industrial expansion in the twentieth century. Manufacturers in India started understanding the importance of quality.

 

The importance of quality was emphasized by many world leaders in the twentieth century. Mahatma Gandhi had mentioned quality on many occasions during the Swadeshi movement. He had said - "It is the quality of our work which will please God and not the quantity.” He was one who emphasized practicing quality in daily life. For emphasizing the importance of customer and his needs, Mahatma Gandhi said, “A customer is the most important visitor in our premises. He is not dependent on us; we are dependent on him. He is not an interruption in our work, he is the purpose of it. He is not an outsider in our business, he is part of it."

 

The evolution of formal quality management system in India started in the mid-twentieth century with the establishment of various industrial organizations and the increasing focus on industrial development. The adoption and implementation of international quality standards, such as ISO 9000 series, gained momentum in 1990s that contributed to the growth of quality management practices in Indian industries.

 

In the twilight years of British rule in India, when the country was faced with the gigantic task of building up the industrial infrastructure, it was the Institution of Engineers (India), which prepared the first draft of the Constitution of an Institution which could take up the task of formulation of National Standards, and thereafter the Department of Industries and Supplies issued a memorandum on 03 September 1946, formally announcing the setting up of an organization called the “Indian Standards Institution” that came into existence on the 06 January 1947.

 

In the initial years, the Indian Standards Institution concentrated on standardization activity. To provide the advantages of standardization to common consumers, the Indian Standards Institution started operating the Certification Marks Scheme under the Indian Standards Institution (Certification Marks) Act, 1952. The Scheme, which was formally launched by ISI in 1955-56, enabled it to grant licences to manufacturers producing goods in conformity with Indian Standards and to apply ISI Mark on their products. To meet the requirements of the Certification Marks Scheme, the nucleus of a laboratory was started in 1963. While the product certification was being operated under the Indian Standards Institution (Certification Marks) Act, 1952, the formulation of standards and other related work were not governed by any legislation. To start with the formulation of standards and other related work, a Bill was therefore introduced in Indian Parliament on 26 November 1986, and thus through an act of Parliament dated 26 November 1986, Bureau of Indian standards (BIS) came into existence on 1 April 1987, with a broadened scope and more powers taking over the staff, assets, liabilities and functions of erstwhile ISI. Through this change over, the government envisaged building a climate for quality culture and consciousness and greater participation of consumers in formulation and implementation of national standards.

 

The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is the national standards body of India and plays a pivotal role in the development and awareness of standards in the country. BIS was established in 1986 and operates under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution. BIS formulates and publishes Indian Standards (IS) across various sectors to ensure quality, safety, and reliability of products and services. BIS, the national standards body, is the member of International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and represents India. More information on BIS can be found on its website by clicking THIS LINK.

 

India also witnessed the establishment of several quality-related organizations aimed at promoting and enhancing quality practices across industries and organizations. Some notable organizations include:

 

National Centre for Quality Management (NCQM) – National Centre for Quality Management (NCQM) was established in 1985 by a group of eminent industrialists and professionals as a not-for-profit organization devoted to promote quality at National level. It is a premier professional institution engaged in promoting Quality culture in Indian economy and foster quality excellence in organizations through services like training, education, seminars, publications, research and advisory services. It is a society registered under Bombay Public Trust Act, 1950. To improve professional competence in Total Quality Management, it pursues PG Diploma in TQM and Diploma in TQM courses. To promote quality values among educational institutions in our country and to encourage Quality Improvement Teams in Educational Institutions in our country, NCQM has instituted Best Education Quality Enhancement Team (BEQET) Awards. More information about the organization can be found on its website by clicking THE NCQM LINK.

 

Quality Circle Forum of India (QCFI) – Quality Circle Forum of India (QCFI) is recognized as the institution representing the Quality Circle Movement in India. It was established on 31 December 1982 and registered as a non-profit and non-political organization under AP Public Society’s Act. The organization has successfully implemented Quality concepts under the TQM umbrella across several industries in India.

 

Quality Circle Forum of India represents India in the 14 nation International Committee that has been set up for organizing International conventions on Quality Concept Circle, annually. Quality Circle Forum of India has organized three International convention in India. In addition, chapter convention and National convention are held every year, where members present case studies and technical papers are discussed by leading Quality Concept Practitioners. Fourteen coordinating organizations are:

 

Group A -

(1) China Association for Quality, China

(2) Hong Kong Productivity Council, Hong Kong

(3) Union of Japanese Scientists and Engineers, Japan

(4) Korean Standards Association, Korea

(5) Quality and Productivity Association of the Philippines, Phillipines

(6) The Association of Pioneer Quality Control Research, Tiwan

 

Group B -

(7) Bangladesh Society for Total Quality Management, Bangladesh

(8) Quality Circle Forum of India, India

(9) Indonesian Quality Management Association, Indonesia

(10) Malaysia Productivity Corporation, Malaysia

(11) National Productivity and Competitiveness Council of Mauritius, Mauritius

(12) Singapore Productivity Association, Singapore

(13) Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Quality and Productivity, Sri Lanka

(14) The Association of QC Headquarters of Thailand, Thailand

 

Quality Circle Forum of India conducts In-house training and orientation programs based on Quality Circles integrated with Total Quality Management and related concepts including Quality circle, Lean quality circle, 5S - Workplace management, Trainers' training, Modern quality concepts etc. Quality Circle Forum of India has its online book store having more than 25 QCFI publications. More information about the organization can be found on its website by clicking THIS QCFI LINK. 

 

Indian Institute of Quality Management – Indian Institute of Quality Management (IIQM) is a division of Electronics Test and Development Centre, Jaipur (Rajasthan, India), which operates under STQC Directorate, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. IIQM provides training to people, industries and users in the area of Quality management, Laboratory management, IT services, Information security management system etc. Indian Institute of Quality Management (IIQM) was established in 1994 and since then it has trained more than 25000 professionals. More information about the organization can be found on its website by clicking THIS IIQM LINK. 

 

During the last decade of 20^th century, in India, to meet the product and service quality challenges and to realize export potential in those days, both private and public sector Indian companies were required to resolve quality and quality management issues. In this direction, following major Indian national quality awards had also proven highly effective in those days:

 

(1)   Golden Peacock Award – Instituted by Institute of Directors, New Delhi. Meant for large, medium and small enterprises.

 

(2)   Rajiv Gandhi National Quality Award – Institute by Bureau of Indian Standards, New Delhi. Meant for manufacturing and service organizations.

 

(3)   CII-EXIM Award – Institute by Confederation of Indian Industry and Export-Import Bank of India. Meant for large, medium and small enterprises.

 

(4)   IMC Ramakrishna Bajaj Award – Instituted by Indian Merchants’ Chamber, Bombay. Meant for manufacturing organizations, service organizations and small businesses.

 

(5)   FICCI Quality Systems Excellence Awards – Instituted by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). Awards recognized organizations for their excellence in quality management systems.

 

(6)   Vishwakarma Rashtriya Puraskar – Instituted by the Ministry of Labour, Government of India, to recognize the outstanding performance in the field of industrial safety, health, and environmental management. Was first instituted in 1989. The award aims to promote and encourage the implementation of best practices and standards in workplace safety and employee welfare.

 

(7)   National Awards for Quality Products – Instituted by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), Government of India. The award aims to recognize outstanding quality products in various categories.

 

(8)   Niryat Shree and Niryat Bandhu Awards – Instituted by the Federation of Indian Export Organizations (FIEO) and the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT). The award aims to recognize excellence in exports and to promote quality consciousness among exporters.

 

One area of the Indian economy in which quality had played a major role was the software industry, in which Indian software industry experienced remarkable growth during the last few years of twentieth century. Quality played a crucial role in the success of the Indian software sector as it helped build a reputation for delivering high-quality software services and products to global clients. Companies in the information technology and software industry also focused on international quality standards such as ISO 9001 and CMMI (Capability Maturity Model Integration) to improve their processes and thus, ensure consistent quality in software development and services.

 

These national awards and initiatives played a crucial role in recognizing and promoting quality excellence in various sectors of Indian economy and were also instrumental in creating a culture of quality awareness at national level, encouraging Indian organizations to adopt best management practices, improve their processes, and provide products and services that meet international standards and ultimate enhance customer satisfaction and also enhance their competitiveness in both domestic and global markets.

 

In the last two decades of twentieth century, many certification bodies, consultancy organizations and individual consultants started functioning in India, who have contributed a lot in the quality movement of India. With the popularity of quality system certification, a need had been felt for the establishment of an accreditation body in the country to establish internationally acceptable mechanism for recognition of conformity assessment results. Quality Council of India (QCI) started functioning in 1998, for which more details will be provided in forthcoming article.

 

 

More content later on ….. Please wait for the forthcoming article on this topic.

 

Thank you,

 

Keshav Ram Singhal

 

#Origin_of_Quality_in_India