New Delhi/Bhubaneswar: With 6 silver medals and 20 medal for excellence, Team India secured 10th position at the 48th WorldSkills Competition, Shanghai 2026 that concluded recently. Three Odisha skilled youths—Debasish Panda, Aditya Prakash and Rajeeb Lochan Chand—have received medal for excellence. While Rajeeb Lochan Chand has received it for excellence in Graphic Design Technology, Debasish and Aditya have bagged it for Autonomous Mobile Robotics.
Both Debasish and Aditya from CV Raman Global University, Bhubaneswar, Odisha had trained at Sakar Robotics. They had designed and built the robot, the manipulation system and the software, and commissioned it for a restaurant delivery use case, all under world-class competition conditions. Rajeeb Lochan Chand is also a student of CV Raman University. He was trained in Mumbai under Media and Entertainment Skills Council for the WorldSkills competition.
The six-day international event concluded on Sept 27. It featured over 1,400 young competitors from around 70 countries and regions. Representing India was its largest-ever contingent of 70 competitors participating across 63 skills, spanning emerging technologies, advanced manufacturing, engineering, creative industries and specialised services.
A significant feature of India’s participation this year was its debut in 11 new and emerging skill categories, including Dental Prosthetics, Digital Interactive Media Design, Intelligent Security Technology, Landscape Gardening, Optoelectronic Technology, Retail Sales, Unmanned Aerial Systems, Industrial Mechanics, Software Testing, Heavy Vehicle Technology and Aircraft Maintenance.
The participation of young women across diverse technical, creative and service-oriented categories was another important highlight. Women competitors represented India in skills ranging from Chemical Laboratory Technology and Logistics and Freight Forwarding to Fashion Technology, Visual Merchandising, Health and Social Care, Hospitality and other specialised occupations, reflecting the widening opportunities for women in vocational education and skill development.
