Quality gets better market, need to change mindset about quality: Goyal

Asserting that quality gets better market, Consumer Affairs Minister Piyush Goyal on Wednesday stressed the need to change the country's mindset about the quality of products and services.

Addressing the 44th plenary meeting of International Standard Organisation (ISO) Technical Committee on Consumer Policy, Goyal said, "Quality is not an abstract term. Quality is not for goods alone but how you provide service. Quality is omnipresent."

"Quality is what consumers are demanding today. Good quality can have an influence on our economy, ability to attract investments, international trade...," he said.

Consumer right, consumer safety and consumer satisfaction are extremely important in this highly globalised world, he said and noted consumers can play a crucial role in shaping markets and driving economic growth.

Stating that India has a great opportunity to become the world's third-largest economy in the next 4-5 years, the Minister said young population, huge talent and skill deployment -- are the biggest strength of the country.

"A market of 1.4 billion is willing to keep its best foot forward. We have a great opportunity and we have to change the country's mindset about quality. Quality helps to get better market," he said.

He also said consumer protection is an integral part of governance. The concept of 'consumer protection' and 'legal metrology' is not a recent thing the world is demanding, but finds mention in the ancient Indian text of Atharva Veda and Kautilya's Arthashastra.

Atharva Veda mentions that there should not be any wrongdoing while weighing a product, while Kautaliya's Artha Shastra has references to consumer safeguards against exploitation, he said.

"Today we are trying to reclaim what was recognised and appreciated hundreds of years ago. We are only trying to bring back the attention of the country and make Indian consumers more demanding, more aware, integrate our processes to make quality the centre of all the work we are doing so that we can work with rest of world with confidence," the Minister added.