Team India secures a historic nine medals in the International Earth Science Olympiad held in Italy, with Soumik Mandal and Aaron Maiti standing among the top three globally. Union Minister Jitendra Singh and Dr T. Srinivasa Kumar commend the students' performance.
On Friday, Union Minister (Independent Charge) for Earth Sciences, Dr. Jitendra Singh, felicitated and interacted with Team India school children at Prithvi Bhawan in New Delhi. The team had secured a historic haul of nine medals – four Gold, three Silver, and two Bronze medals – at the 19th International Earth Science Olympiad (IESO) held from August 20 to 27, 2026, in Turin, Italy. The students competed against participants from 39 countries. Soumik Mandal from DAV Model School, IIT-KGP, West Bengal, and Aaron Maiti from the same school stood among the top three globally with two Gold and one Silver each, respectively.
Dr Jitendra Singh expressed immense pride in the young achievers and commended their parents and schools for bringing global laurels to the nation. He highlighted the Ministry's commitment to empowering youth through student-centric outreach programs and fostering scientific temperament among young minds.
Riddhi Ranjan from Gyan Asthali International School, Patna, Bihar, and Md Ehtesham Rizwi Bihar from JNV, also won Gold and Silver medals respectively. Dr T. Srinivasa Kumar, Secretary of the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), joined in commending the contingent, praising the students and mentors for recording India’s highest-ever medal tally in the competition's history.
The rigorous national selection and training pipeline preceding the participation in the prestigious Olympiad reflect structured national backing. The Earth Science Olympiad began with an all-India test facilitated by the Geological Society of India (GSI), which saw approximately 17,800 students appear across 500 centers nationwide.
Source:
Press Information Bureau
