Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday urged Indian industry and start-ups to make quality the cornerstone of manufacturing, saying economic growth, global competitiveness and India’s development ambitions depend on producing world-class goods.
In his 130th episode of the monthly Mann ki Baat radio programme, Modi said Indian products must become synonymous with top quality and called for a renewed push towards zero-defect manufacturing across sectors.
“Let us resolve to improve the quality of whatever we manufacture. Be it our textiles, technology, electronics or even packaging; an Indian product should become synonymous with top quality,” the prime minister said.
He said the global market was closely watching India’s manufacturing capabilities and warned against complacency. “The era of ‘it just happens’… ‘it works’… ‘it will go through somehow’ (chalta hai) is over. Come, let us prioritise quality with all our might this year. Let our only mantra be quality, quality and only quality,” Modi said.
The emphasis on quality, he said, was essential to strengthen India’s position as a reliable manufacturing hub amid expanding global supply chains. Modi reiterated his earlier call for ‘Zero Defect, Zero Effect’, which seeks to enhance product competitiveness while ensuring environmentally sustainable production.
Also read: India has the 3rd largest startup ecosystem: PM in Mann ki Baat
“The ‘Zero Defect Zero Effect’ initiative is aimed at enhancing competitiveness of products and making the manufacturing process sustainable,” he said, adding that only through this approach could India accelerate its journey towards a ‘Viksit Bharat’.
The prime minister also highlighted the economic significance of India’s start-up ecosystem, which completed a decade in 2026. “Today India has turned into the third largest start-up ecosystem in the world,” Modi said, crediting young entrepreneurs for driving innovation and job creation.
He noted that Indian start-ups are active across high-growth and capital-intensive sectors, including artificial intelligence, space, nuclear energy, semiconductors, mobility, green hydrogen and biotechnology. “You name it and you’ll find one Indian start-up or the other working in that sector,” he said.
Modi also extended greetings on National Voters Day and Republic Day, while underscoring that sustained economic growth would depend on consistent improvements in product quality, manufacturing standards and innovation-led enterprise.
Follow us
