Many a time many of us are disgusted at the poor quality and shabby looks of many Made in India products. Pick up electrical fittings, or small items of domestic appliances, machinery, or nearly anything, there is some kind of defect in them; and if nothing else, shabby finishing. Or poor workmanship.
I had a water filter installed in my kitchen. It works but the technician who installed it left its wiring hanging like a garland with a transformer pulling it down like a pendant. It was ugly. The water pipe was also close to the electric switch without insulation. It is what we call in India Chalta Hai. Accepted and rationalized as But It Works; Damn the Aesthetics.
I lived in a flat in Dubai for nearly 13 years. It was built by a British company but workers were from India and other Asian countries. Only once there was a minor problem and resolved. The workers are given good training, to ensure quality of service in construction and installation as well as safety and looks in putting fixtures.
Our workers in India are actually ill trained. Even big companies may teach them how to fix an appliance but wouldn’t teach them how to do it a little better. Aesthetics are important, and if one pays attention to beauty, or looking nice, it also means a step toward perfection as an attitude. Or mindset.
This time, my editorial is far away from the hard core military or foreign affairs, but then, we need perfection and precision in manufacturing defence systems to make them work well, last long, and metaphorically, Fire Deadly. That’s the only way you can empower our great soldiers.
To my very pleasant surprise, in his Independence Day address, Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself called for Zero Defect in Made in India products.
Obviously, someone drew his attention to the requirement of Quality and Perfection in our indigenously produced items. Zero Defect means Safety, Long Life and Efficiency in operation of an appliance or system, big or small. And the resulting No Complaints would mean plenty of Time Saved in unnecessary servicing. Aesthetics mean financial gains by increased exports in a very competitive international market.
Coming to Defence, the Public Sector Units (PSUs) have contributed significantly with domestic production from Firearms and Artillery Guns, Aircraft, Helicopters, Ships, Missiles and Radars. Sometimes, there are – or were – rough edges in various equipment made by them. Well. They have worked indeed. But the Key is Perfection, meaning Quality.
One good thing through the Transfer of Technology (ToT) towards Make in India, while acquiring systems from foreign OEMs, is better trained Engineers and workers. The unnecessarily maligned Bofors guns that we now make indigenously for instance is a good examples of benefitting from Technology induction.
I must congratulate PM Modi for paying attention to Zero Defect in Make in India and intruducing ToT as a key policy.
— Gulshan Rai Luthra
