Minister Piyush Goyal sets quality mantra for $35 trn India by 2047

India’s aspiration to become a $30–35 trillion economy by 2047 is anchored in three key principles—zero defects to maintain high quality, zero effect to safeguard environmental sustainability, and equitable opportunity to promote inclusive growth, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said while addressing the first National Quality Conclave virtually.

At the conclave organised by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) in association with the Quality Council of India (QCI), Goyal emphasised that quality must become the defining mantra of India’s manufacturing and export ecosystem, asserting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘zero defect, zero effect’ will serve as the cornerstone of India’s growth story in the Amrit Kaal.

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said India’s $30–35 trillion economy goal by 2047 hinges on zero defect, zero effect and inclusive growth, making quality central to manufacturing and exports.
Addressing the National Quality Conclave, he stressed uniform global standards, skilling, better testing infrastructure and leveraging FTAs to achieve the $2 trillion export target.

Goyal underscored that no country can progress merely as a consumer; it must establish itself as a globally recognised producer of high-quality goods and services. He emphasised that brand India must stand for quality, reliability and trust. Noting that India has been the world’s fastest-growing large economy for the past four years and is poised to become the third-largest GDP in the next two to two-and-a-half years, he said the country’s $2 trillion export target—comprising $1 trillion in merchandise and $1 trillion in services within the next six to seven years—can only be achieved through uncompromising quality standards, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry said in a press release.

Highlighting India’s expanding trade outreach, Goyal said that nine Free Trade Agreements finalised in the past three to three-and-a-half years with 38 developed countries now cover nearly two-thirds of global GDP and trade. These agreements, he noted, open new opportunities in sectors such as textiles, leather, footwear and pharmaceuticals, provided Indian products consistently meet the highest global benchmarks. He reiterated that India’s current share in global trade remains modest, even in competitive and labour-intensive sectors, and urged industry to leverage new market access opportunities created through these agreements.

Recalling earlier challenges, Goyal remarked that Indian consumers were once compelled to seek ‘export quality’ products, reflecting a dual-quality ecosystem. He stressed that such a culture must be decisively replaced with uniform, high standards for both domestic and international markets. He lauded the QCI and DPIIT for taking the message of quality to the grassroots through extensive consultations across clusters and sectors.

Outlining a five-pillar action agenda to institutionalise quality, the minister emphasised the need for clearly defined standard operating processes with strict compliance and continuous inspection from raw material to finished product stage; skilling and re-skilling of the workforce to reduce wastage and enhance productivity, particularly in sectors such as textiles; undertaking gap analysis and benchmarking with global best practices to improve competitiveness and environmental outcomes; streamlining testing and certification protocols to reduce delays and costs; and strengthening shared infrastructure through modern, automated testing facilities across manufacturing clusters.

Goyal assured that funds would not be a constraint for establishing high-quality testing infrastructure. He encouraged industry to seek support under the Export Promotion Mission (EPM) for international approvals and compliance requirements, including REACH regulations, CBAM verification, SPS and TBT measures, and other non-tariff barriers. He stated that government support would particularly benefit micro and small enterprises in accessing global markets and meeting international standards, the release added.

The conclave represents a first-of-its-kind national initiative structured around extensive on-ground consultations with industry and MSMEs to directly capture shop-floor and supply-chain insights and integrate them into policy deliberations and the development of sector-specific quality roadmaps. Series 1 of the conclave brought together senior policymakers, industry leaders, regulators and key stakeholders from four priority manufacturing sectors — textiles, leather, footwear and pharmaceuticals — identified for their strong export potential, extensive MSME participation and contribution to employment generation.

The conclave adopted a sector-differentiated, evidence-driven three-stage engagement process over two months across more than twenty cities to ensure actionable outcomes. In the leather sector, 25+ nationwide consultations and 15+ Gunvatta Manthan dialogues were conducted with participation from 65+ industry stakeholders and MSMEs. The textiles sector engagement comprised 30+ nationwide consultations and 10+ Gunvatta Manthan dialogues engaging 10+ stakeholders and MSMEs, while the pharmaceuticals sector saw focused discussions through 7+ nationwide consultations involving 55+ stakeholders and MSMEs. The programme covered 14 manufacturing clusters and engaged over 50 government and regulatory bodies through a twin-track approach involving both private sector stakeholders and government agencies.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (RR)