India wins first ever gold medal in WorldSkills International Competition, finishes at 13th in the 2019 edition held in Kazan

Indian Team returned with the best-ever finish at the 45th edition of WorldSkills International Competition 2019 in Kazan, Russia on August 27 by winning 19 medals and Medallions of Excellence. India finished 13^th in the overall standings several notches up from the last time when it won 11 medals and finished in the 19^th position at Abu Dhabi in 2017. 

S Aswatha Narayana won country’s lone gold medal in Water Technology while as  Pranav Nutalapati won a silver medal in Web Technologies. Sanjoy Pramanik and Shweta Ratanpura won bronze medals in Jewellery and Graphic Designing respectively. Shweta has also earned the distinction of being the only female candidate to win a medal for India. In addition, the 48-member Indian team also bagged 15 Medallions of Excellence.

S Aswatha Narayana who comes from Odisha competed against 11 countries and was also rewarded as ‘Best of Nation’ amongst the Indian competitors. Pranav Nutalapati represented Karnataka competed with 33 countries. “The competition was extreme and by returning with 19 medals, Team India has started a new chapter in the history of vocational skills. This does not only prove the talent of the team but showcases their strong dedication and commitment,” said an Indian official.

Congratulating the winners, 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. 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.”

This year’s challenge witnessed an increased participation with more than 1,350 Competitors from 63 countries and regions who competed in 56 skills to win prestigious medals. China finished the competition with 16 gold medals, 14 silver and 5 medals in total, putting China at the top of the medal rankings.

Congratulating the Indian team on their performance, union skills minister, Dr. Mahendra Nath Pandey, 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. The winners and their experts will be rewarded as a token of appreciation for their hard work and sincerity that has brought laurels to the nation. 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.

 Experts of the winners and the participants were an integral part of the competition and continued supporting the contenders in their respective skills. They played a critical role in Team India’s win and to achieve this milestone would not have been possible without their devoted involvement. S Aswatha Narayana who won Gold in Water Technology was trained by Rajat Kumar Samantaray, Professor, CV Raman Institute, Bhubaneswar, Pranav Nutalapati who won Silver in Web Technologies was trained by Ruchi Pareek, Technical Director, Smalt & Beryl, Sanjoy Pramanik won Bronze in Jewellery and was trained by Anupam Karmakar, Creative Head, Vummidi Bangaru Jewellers and Shweta Ratanpura who won Bronze in Graphic Designing, was trained by Narayanan Sathish, Founder, Design Media, Pune.