India’s ambition to become a globally competitive and self-reliant economy must be driven by quality, innovation and scale, industry leaders said at the third IFQM Symposium 2026 in New Delhi on Monday.
Union Minister for Communications and Development of North Eastern Region Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, delivering the keynote address, said the world would increasingly look to India for lessons in quality, innovation and self-reliance. He linked initiatives such as the Indian Foundation for Quality Management (IFQM) with the Viksit Bharat@2047 and Atmanirbhar Bharat objectives.
Tata Sons Executive Chairman N. Chandrasekaran said India’s progress in infrastructure, manufacturing, precision manufacturing, education and skill development had helped the economy exceed expectations despite global uncertainty. Larsen & Toubro CMD S.N. Subrahmanyan stressed that quality must become an organisational culture involving every employee.
A key highlight was the International Academy for Quality honouring IFQM Chairman Venu Srinivasan with the Marcos E.J. Bertin Quality in Governance Medal for his contribution to quality-based governance.
IFQM also signed anMoU with Karlsruhe Institute of Technology to deepen industry-academia cooperation in quality and innovation. Six panel discussions, five keynote addresses and a CEO session examined sectoral competitiveness, infrastructure, pharmaceuticals, electronics, AI and MSME capability building.
In Guwahati, the emphasis on quality, technology and capability building could be particularly relevant for Assam and Northeast-based MSMEs seeking to expand beyond regional markets. Stronger industry-academia linkages and adoption of global quality practices could help local enterprises improve productivity, attract investment and become more competitive in national and export markets.