The Quality Council of India (QCI) and the Government of Odisha in collaboration with WTC Bhubaneswar and other industry associations launched the “Odisha Gunvatta Sankalp (Odisha Quality Mission)” at Bhubaneswar. The initiative was inaugurated by Shri Pradeep Kumar Jena, Chief Secretary of Odisha with the esteemed presence of Smt. Anu Garg, Development Commissioner cum Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Water Resources, Government of Odisha.

Several policymakers, industry leaders, practitioners and members of academia discussed regarding promoting and prioritising quality across various sectors in the state of Odisha to pave an ecosystem of quality that underlines the idea of a progressive and Sashakta (empowered) Odisha.

Odisha, with its abundant natural resources, talented and hardworking workforce and an enabling administration is poised to be one of the State’s leading the mantle in India’s growth story. It is making great strides in the sports sector. Today, we are here to create a connection with the grassroots and permeate the idea of Quality in the DNA of each and every citizen in every part of India”, remarked Shri. Jaxay Shah, Chairperson of QCI.

Hon’ble Chief Minister of Odisha, Shri. Naveen Patnaik graced the occasion through a recorded video message and emphasized on the role of quality as a key aspect in every sphere of human activity. “Odisha’s dynamic 5T initiative has made significant inroads in bringing about quality across domains such as public service delivery, heritage tourism, healthcare, education and skilling, drinking water and so on. We must be able to leverage the role played by quality as a metric that can be measured, tracked and scaled, and work together to create a new and empowered Odisha”, he highlighted.

Shri. Pradeep Kumar Jena, Chief Secretary of Odisha in his address deliberated about quality and mentioned that quality is a continuous process and not an end. He highlighted the potential of the state as well as the state’s willingness to ensure quality assurance as the core component as the value system of Odisha.

Smt. Anu Garg, in her address highlighted the pace of change in Odisha and lauded how the government is taking up around 40-50 irrigation projects instead of 5-10 as it did earlier. “While there are 3 international flights from Bhubaneswar, there are also flights under the Mukhyamantri Vayu Swasthya Seva air health services wherein special doctors reach remote regions of Odisha. When public feedback was sought under Mo Sarkar across departments, we have found a positive response. We already conduct monthly programs for quality assurance and discuss common topics related to quality. However, there is much to do and QCI can assist us in finding gaps and going the extra mile that Odisha requires to achieve transformational change and ensure quality of life for its people”, she asserted.

His Excellency Prof. Ganeshi Lal, Governor of Odisha graced the occasion with his presence and addressed the participants. He reinforced the need for adopting quality practices across domains and for creating an ecosystem for quality in Odisha thereby enabling the achievement of the vision of a new and empowered Odisha.

“The Odisha government has been extremely supportive of the Gunvatta Sankalp initiative. Our discussions with secretaries across MSME, Electronics and IT, and skilling have yielded focused interventions in the domains of ZED, LEAN and ONDC. QCI will be working closely with the government to make sure that these interventions get materialized at the earliest. We will be discussing, deliberating and collaborating with the relevant partners to create an overall impact on Odisha's Economy”, said Dr. Ravi P. Singh, Secretary General of QCI earlier in the session.

The program was held on Monday, 26^th June 2023 at Hotel Mayfair Lagoon, Bhubaneswar.