Team India creates history at WorldSkills Kazan 2019 by winning 19 medals

History was created at WorldSkills Kazan 2019 when the Indian Team’s best-ever finish at the WorldSkills International Competition 2019 in Kazan, Russia by winning 19 medals and Medallions of Excellence. The 48-member Indian team won one Gold, one Silver and two Bronze medals besides 15 Medallions of Excellence at the competition that ended with a spectacular closing ceremony at Kazan yesterday attended by the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin.

S Aswatha Narayana represented Odisha and won a Gold medal in Water Technology, he competed against 11 countries. He was also rewarded as ‘Best of Nation’ amongst the Indian competitors. Pranav Nutalapati represented Karnataka and won Silver Medal in Web Technologies after competing with 33 countries. Sanjoy Pramanik represented West Bengal and won the Bronze Medal in Jewellery after competing against 16 countries. Shweta Ratanpura represented Maharashtra and won the Bronze medal in Graphic Designing after showcasing her skill against 35 countries. Shweta has also earned the distinction of being the only female candidate to win a medal for India at WorldSkills Kazan 2019.

Congratulating the Indian team on their performance, Dr. Mahendra Nath Pandey, Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, who was in Kazan to encourage the team, said, “It is a moment of great pride and joy for every Indian today. Congratulations to Team India on this historic triumph and for presenting a brilliant show. This win will be an inspiration to many other young Indians who will soon become a part of the skilling ecosystem. Personally, it has been a moment of great pride, being a part of this competition and witness the scale and standards at which India competed at WorldSkills 2019. The event is truly the ‘Olympics of Skills’. This victory takes us a step closer to fulfilling Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Skilled India’.”

Shri Rajesh Agrawal, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, who was at Kazan as an official delegate expressed his delight and said, “We are honored to see Team India bring home a Gold Medal, a Silver Medal, two Bronze Medals along with 15 Medallions of Excellence from WorldSkills 2019, Kazan, Russia. The youth of the country should take great inspiration from the commitment and the determination with which Team India defined new limits and proved their mettle against many nations like China, Russia, Japan and the likes. Congratulations to the other participants too for having embodied the true spirit of participation and giving it their best. All of them have shown that India has a young and competent workforce ready to define new limits.”

Echoing similar sentiments, Dr. Manish Kumar, Managing Director and CEO, National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), said, “ Congratulations to all the winners, especially to Aswatha Narayana, on winning India’s first gold medal. I thank the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, state governments and industry leaders for their support to Worldskills and providing candidates with opportunities to excel in this competition. Special thanks to Mr. Sanjib Rout and his team at the CV Raman Institute, Odisha, for the role they played as an institution in bringing home the first gold medal for India. It is my hope that more institutions will come forward to support the next round of Worldskills competitions.”

With this historic triumph, Team India won hearts and set new standards of skilling on the world stage. India finished 13th in the overall standings several notches up from the last time when it won 11 medals and finished in the 19th position at Abu Dhabi in 2017.