India registered several firsts at the WorldSkills International Competitions that was held in Kazan, Russia this year. Shweta Ratanpura, a graphic designer from the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, became the first ever woman participant from India to bag a bronze medal for graphic designing.
This event that sees young people from all corners of the world to compete for the prestigious medal in their chosen field.
There were competitions in 56 skills across a wide range of industries — from joinery to floristry; hairdressing to electronics; and auto-body repair to bakery.
This year the event saw more than 1350 participants from 63 countries wherein India managed to secure 13th position.
Shweta Conferred Bronze In The Event
The Indian contingent won 19 awards, including one gold, one silver and two bronze. Apart from Shweta’s bronze in graphic designing, Indian bagged a gold in water technologies; a silver in web technologies; and bronze in jewellery and graphic designing.
S Aswatha Narayana from Odisha won a gold medal in water technology, Pranav Nutalapati from Karnataka won a silver medal in web technologies while Sanjoy Pramanik from West Bengal won the bronze medal in jewellery. The other 15 awards were the medals of excellence.
Last year India stood at 19th position with 11 medals, at the event which was held at Abu Dhabi in 2017.
To appreciate the achievement of Ratanpura and other participants, the Skill Ministry released a statement on Friday that read, “Blazing a trail of glory for India at the global stage, the 48-member Indian team returned with the best-ever finish at the WorldSkills International Competition 2019 in Kazan, Russia by winning 19 medals and medallions of excellence.”
Addressing an audience comprising government representatives of 40 other countries at a Ministers’ Summit organised along the side lines of the competition, Dr. Mahendra Nath Pandey, Hon’ble Minister for Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE), said India is making all efforts necessary to utilise the potential of its unique demographic dividend. “India is a young nation with the median age of 27.6 years. We will have the largest working population during 2022-2034. We have adapted global standards of skilling to strengthen the young workforce with competent skills,” he said. “We have undertaken several initiatives to provide opportunities for the workforce, including prominent international recruitments to enhance their skill level.”
Also Read: Making India Proud: Aswatha Narayana Bags Gold At World Skills Event In Russia, Creates History
