Bhubaneswar: As many as three participants from Odisha have been selected to represent India at the WorldSkills International Competition-2019, scheduled to be held in Kazan, Russia from August 22 to 27.

They are Abinash Swain (CNC Turning), Xenophon Das (M-CAD) and S. Aswatha Narayana (Water Technology).

Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE), Government of India yesterday announced a 48-member contingent which will represent India at the biggest showcase of skills excellence in the world.

More than 1,500 competitors from 60 countries will compete in 55 skill competitions at this mega event, which is also referred as the ‘Olympics for Skills’.

The selection of Team India for WorldSkills-2019 began in January, 2018. More than 22 states collaborated and organized close to 500 district and state level competitions between March and April, 2018. The winners at these events competed at four regional competitions organized at Jaipur, Lucknow, Bangalore and Bhubaneswar.

The winners from the regional competitions further competed at the National Competition organized from October 2 to 6, 2018 at Aerocity Grounds in Delhi. Since then, the selected candidates have been undergoing rigorous training and have also participated in international competitions in order to hone their skills and gain the required experience.

Abinash Swain                        Xenophon Das                     S Aswatha Narayana