Quality & India

John Hunter reports on the Deming Prize [link]From the figures he provides:

Quality Awards and India: [link]

Rajiv Gandhi National Quality Award was instituted by the Bureau of Indian Standards in 1991, with a view to encouraging Indian manufacturing and service organizations to strive for excellence and giving special recognition to those who are considered to be the leaders of quality movement in India. This award is intended to generate interest and involvement of Indian Industry in quality programmes, drive our products and services to higher levels of quality and equip our Industry to meet the challenges of domestic and International markets.

The award has been designed in line with similar awards in other developed countries, like Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award in USA, Deming Prize in Japan and European Quality Award.

Eventually Shilpa Shetty got the ‘Rajiv Gandhi National Quality Award’ at a grand ceremony held at NCPA,Mumbai attended by the high and mighty.But the two news above clearly indicates that there was some confusion regarding the awards. And this is exactly the point!.I also have serious confusion as to why the award was given to Shilpa Shetty!.How did she contribute to the quality movement?