Bhubaneswar, Odisha's participants shone at the IndiaSkills 2024 by winning the highest number of medals at the national championships for the second consecutive year, an official said on Monday. IndiaSkills is the country's biggest skills competition.

Odisha finished first in the nationwide medal tally, taking the total medal tally to 51.

The Odisha team was given a warm welcome upon arrival at the Biju Patnai International Airport here on Monday.

“The dedication, hard work and victory of the participants have made the entire state proud.May he continue to shine and inspire everyone with his remarkable achievements. Best wishes to them for the future,” Chief Minister Navi Patnaik posted on Instagram and congratulated the winners from the state.

Odisha won 17 gold, 13 silver and nine bronze medals as well as 1 'Excellence Medal' at IndiaSkills 2024, thus reaching the highest medal tally across the country for the second consecutive time.

The official said that out of total 64 competitors from Odisha who competed in 48 skills at IndiaSkills, 51 participants won medals in 41 different skills.

They excelled in 48 skills such as mobile robotics, information network cabling industrial control, mobile application development and cyber security.Usha Padhi, Principal Secretary, Department of Skill Development and Technical Education, Rashmita Panda, Chief Executive Office, Odisha Skill Development Authority (OSDA) and other officials welcomed the champions at the airport.

OSDA Chairperson Alka Mishra said that under the 'Skilled in Odisha' initiative of the state government, necessary measures have been taken to expand and globalize the skills of the youth of Odisha.

The WorldSkills competition will be held in Lyon, France in September.

After the excellent performance in IndiaSkills 2024, Team Odisha now aims to bring glory to the state in WorldSkills.

The IndiaSkills 2024 competition is spread across nine centers in four cities across India.Over 900 competitors representing various states and union territories participated in the event organized by the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) under the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.