Emphasising the importance of quality in manufacturing defence-related equipment, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that there is "no free lunch" implying that one needs to pay the price for everything, even for improving quality.

"I would like to keep my thoughts on why quality is important in defence-related equipment. You all must have heard the phrase, 'There is no free lunch'. For everything, we have to pay a price...Similarly, for quality improvement, a free lunch is not possible," the Defence Minister said while addressing the plenary session of the DRDO Quality Conclave on Wednesday.

Rajnath said that if one is making something of good quality, then he needs to improve his equipment, skills, workforce, and invest more capital as well.

"If you are making something of good quality, then you need to improve your equipment, skills, and workforce. You have to invest more capital as well. When all these factors come together, a good-quality product is produced," Rajnath said.

"All these are known as quality costs, or those that we spend on to improve quality," he added.

Rajnath said that the harder one works, the better the outcome and the more it will be in demand.

"I am a resident of eastern Uttar Pradesh, and we have a saying: the more ingredients you use, the better its quality will be. It is applicable to a range of things. The harder you work, the better the results. The more you focus on your product's quality, the more it will be in demand," he said.

Speaking on the theme 'Quality Odyssey for Self Reliance in Defence Products' in New Delhi, the Raksha Mantri said that only quality products create global demand, and it will help in realising Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi's vision of making India a global manufacturing hub and a net defence exporter.

Rajnath pointed out that those countries that manufacture quality products export their equipment to countries across the globe. He added that due to the good quality, the prices of these platforms are quite high, but it should be kept in mind that importing countries are ready to pay even the highest prices for state-of-the-art products.

Stressing that top-quality products bring credibility to the domestic defence industry, Rajnath stated that manufacturing such equipment within the country will generate increased global demand and bolster India's reputation in the international market.

He also underscored the importance of cost control while manufacturing quality defence products.

"Cost control should be given utmost importance; however it should not be at the expense of quality. We have to be globally cost-competitive, but it has to be done by remaining in the top-quality segment. We must move forward with this idea," Rajnath Singh said.

The Raksha Mantri underscored the need to manufacture high-quality military systems that are effective, reliable, and safe and can enable the Armed Forces to accomplish their missions successfully.