Bhubaneswar: Participants from Odisha shined at IndiaSkills 2024, by bagging the highest number of medals in the national championship for the second consecutive year, an official said Monday. IndiaSkills is the country’s biggest skill competition.
Odisha secured the first place in the medal tally nationwide, summing up the medals count to 51.
The team from Odisha was warmly welcomed upon their arrival at Biju Patnaik International Airport here on Monday.
“The dedication, hard work, and triumphs of the participants have made the entire state proud. May they keep shining and inspiring all with remarkable achievements. Wish them all the best for the future,” Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik posted on X and congratulated the winners from the state.
Odisha bagged 17 gold, 13 silver and nine bronze medals, along with 12 ‘Medallion of Excellence’ at the IndiaSkills 2024, thus hitting the highest medal tally across the country for the second consecutive time.
Out of a total of 64 contestants of Odisha competing across 48 skills in IndiaSkills, 51 participants achieved medals across 41 different skills, the official said.
They excelled in 48 skills such as mobile robotics, information network cabling, industrial control, mobile application development and cyber security.
The principal secretary of the Skill Development & Technical Education department, Usha Padhee, along with Rashmita Panda, the chief executive officer of Odisha Skill Development Authority (OSDA) and other officials welcomed the champions at the airport.
OSDA chairperson Alka Misra said that under the ‘Skilled In Odisha’ initiative of the state government, essential measures are taken to expand and globalise the skills of the Odisha youth.
The WorldSkills competition will be held in Lyon, France, in September.
After the best performance in IndiaSkills 2024, now Team Odisha’s target is to bring laurels for the state at WorldSkills.
The IndiaSkills 2024 competition spanned nine centres in four cities across India. Organised by the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) under the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, the event saw the participation of over 900 contestants representing various states and union territories.
PTI