India has long been a beacon of craftsmanship, famed for its architectural marvels, intricate artistry, and precision metallurgy. Centuries ago, our industries contributed nearly 30 per cent of the world’s GDP, demonstrating an unwavering dedication to excellence. While post-independence India has made tremendous strides in scientific research, defense, automobile, aviation, and medical innovation, these achievements largely benefit a small segment of society.

In stark contrast, the vast majority ~ especially those engaged in service sectors and small to medium scale manufacturing ~ grapple with a persistent culture of inefficiency, negligence, and disregard for quality, affecting not only our daily life but the national economic growth and productivity. This pervasive decline stems from historical oppression, complacency, and an ingrained tendency to accept mediocrity rather than challenge it. Centuries of foreign rule conditioned society to resign to fate, suppressing creativity and dynamism. Over time, precision faded, leaving behind a workforce that lacked motivation for perfection.

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Instead of fostering corrective action, substandard work became normalized. Despite 76 years of independence, this mindset persists, especially in sectors lacking strict oversight. With over 15.67 per cent youth unemployment and 103.4 million classified as “NEET” (Not in Education, Em – ployment, or Training), many are absorbed into small industrial and service sectors where poor work culture flourishes unchecked. This segment, where inadequate vocational training, lack of discipline, and disregard for accountability thrives, needs urgent intervention. It is here that the Government and the organized private sector must step in to instill training, excellence, and accountability, ensuring India’s growth is broad-based and inclusive, rather than restricted to a privileged few. Organized & Semi-Organized Sectors: Mainly, the reasons for degradation, decline in professionalism and lack of precision across various medium and small scale industries are:

* Inadequate skill development. Training programmes are either insufficient or non-existent, leading to poor workmanship.

* Disjointed education systems result in lack of standardization in skill-based training while language comprehension hinders efficiency. In most cases the technician learns by experiments and experience leaving him unfit for competing with quality products from corporate or established industries.

* Absence of structured SOPs and formal guidelines lead workers to take shortcuts resulting in hazardous and at times fatal output.

* The high cost of professional tools discourages workers from using industry-standard materials. With free trade and easy transfer of technology, it should not be difficult for organized industry to produce affordable quality tools and test equipment.

* Lack of pride in craftsmanship results in complacency preventing workers from striving for excellence. Frances Hesselbein has aptly said that “Dispirited, unmotivated, unappreciated workers cannot compete in a highly competitive world”

* Minimal competition and innovation – Without incentives to improve, mediocrity prevails.

* Weak disciplinary measures – Poor execution often goes unchecked, reducing accountability.

* Neglect of quality assurance – Regulatory systems fail to enforce stringent quality control in service sectors. Private and Unorganized Sectors: Significant reasons for degradation in quality assurance and incidence of poor professional output are:

* Compulsive reliance on shortcuts which sacrifices efficiency and safety norms.

* Weak enforcement of safety standards results in reckless behavior.

* Punctuality and deadlines are the foundations of success which more than often are ignored as workers lack sen – se of urgency and discipline.

* Social obligations and personal matters frequently take priority over work commitments. We experience a sub-standard work culture daily across multiple small industries and service sectors, yet it has become so normalized that most people hardly question it. “A disorganized workspace means disorganized work habits. A sloppy work environment equals sloppy results,” said Larry Winget. This quote encapsulates the reality we face: poor work conditions breed inefficiency, carelessness, and negligence, leading to widespread failures in execution. Workplace Negligence is another critical factor. Unsafe welding practices often performed without protective eyewear, result in frequent workplace injuries. Exposed electrical wiring left dangerously unsecured, leads to potential electrocution risks and fatalities.

Poor plumbing work, causing longterm seepage issues, weakens building structures. Haphazard road construction, where shortcuts in material use and patchwork repairs lead to repeated damage and unnecessary costs. Reckless vehicle repairs, with technicians often cutting corners, cause mechanical failures and increase road accident risks. Public Indiscipline adds to this messy situation. Compulsive two-wheeler driving without helmets results in avoidable fatalities and traumatic injuries. Frequent traffic violations create chaotic and unsafe driving conditions, resulting in high accid – ent rates. Littering and vandalism in public spaces, showcases the population’s socially tolerated disregard for civic responsibility and for public hygiene and decorum.

Chronic lateness, where tardiness is socially accep ted, leads to inefficiencies in workplaces and services. Apathy among authorities, where negligence in enforcing safety protocols allows poor work practices to persist unchallenged. Such encounters with poor work culture affect millions of lives across India, resulting in economic setbacks, unnecessary fatalities, and a tarnished reputation for efficiency and precision. Strengthening work discipline and enforcing stricter quality standards are not just desirable-they are essential to reviving our national work ethic. The consequences are there for us to see. Several major building collapses have occurred in India due to poor construction practices, including incidents in Thane (2013), Chennai (2014), Kolkata (2018), and Mumbai (2019).

Reported multi-fatality fire incidents in India have fluctuated, with 23 major cases in 2022 alone due to negligence in fire safety measures, with a major fire reported in Lawrence Road, Delhi on 13 May 2025. A large number of fire incidents took place in residential buildings that lacked No-Objection Certificates (NOC) from fire authorities, highlighting failures in safety compliance. The National Motor Vehicle Crash Causation Survey (NMVCCS) found that 2 per cent of crashes were caused by vehicle defects, with tire issues (35 per cent) and brake failures (22 per cent) as major factors. With 600 million youth, India has the workforce to transform its service and manufactu – ring sectors ~ but structured training, discipline, and accountability are crucial. Skill education must replace inefficiency, ensuring precision and quality for global competitiveness.

The manufacturing sector can drive world-class exports, establishing India as an economic powerhouse. Achieving this transformation requires a multi-pronged approach, with structured interventions from the State, schools, and families to instill discipline, professional ethics, and a commitment to excellence. State organized industry and institutions must strengthen uniform vocational training programmes through formal skill development initiatives; implement stringent quality control in construction, manufacturing, and services to eliminate inefficiencies; enforce discipline on roads, workplaces, and public spaces through active monitoring and legal accountability and encourage technological innovation to improve efficiency and enhance productivity.

Schools and Institutions must integrate civic sense and professional ethics into primary education, fostering a mindset of responsibility; teach values of honesty, integrity, and work discipline, ensuring future generations uphold high standards, and promote pride in workmanship and a culture of striving for excellence, embedding precision as a norm. Parents must instill civic responsibility and work ethic from an early age, setting the foundation for disciplined professionals; encourage a culture of diligence, safety, and perfection, ensuring children value accountability and hard work. As India navigates a challenging period that demands national unity, the recent crisis presents an opportunity for intro spection and urgent corrective measures. It compels us to address deficiencies in our work culture, injecting the spirit of excellence and innovation into industry and service sectors. Given the current geo-political landscape, it is crucial for all political parties, including the opposition and the bureaucracy to move beyond futile debates and abandon outdated governance approaches rooted in colonial isolation.

Now is the time to channel our collective resources into restructuring education and vocational training, equipping our vast unemployed and unemployable youth with essential skills. By harnessing this immense human potential, we can stre – ngthen our manufacturing capacity, ensure high-quality production, and boost exports paving the way for India to achieve its ambitious five-trilliondollar economic vision with greater ease and efficiency.

Reviving India’s work culture demands a collective rejection of substandard practices. Just as charity begins at home, so does the expectation for quality, discipline, and perfection. To call a “half-empty glass” as “half full” must no longer be accepted ~ it must be filled with professional diligence, skill development, and a pursuit of excellence. By embracing this mindset, India can once again achieve global recognition for its craftsmanship, work ethic, and industrial prowess. As Vince Lombardi said: “Individual commitment to a group effort ~ that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.”

(The writer is a retired Air Commodore, VSM, of the Indian Air Force)