Union Minister for Earth Sciences Dr. Jitendra Singh felicitated Team India school children for their historic performance at the 19th International Earth Science Olympiad (IESO) 2026 held in Turin, Italy from August 20 to 27, 2026. The Indian contingent achieved the country's best-ever performance in the competition's history by winning 9 medals total - comprising 4 Gold, 3 Silver, and 2 Bronze medals - while competing against participants from 39 countries.
The medal winners included Soumik Mandal from DAV Model School, Durgapur, West Bengal (2 Gold, 1 Silver, and 3rd overall global ranking), Aaron Maiti from DAV Model School, IIT-KGP, West Bengal (1 Gold, 1 Bronze), Riddhi Ranjan from Gyan Asthali International School, Patna, Bihar (1 Gold, 1 Silver), and Md Ehtesham Rizwi from JNV, Bihar (1 Silver, 1 Bronze).
Dr. Singh emphasized the Ministry of Earth Sciences' commitment to empowering youth through student-centric outreach programs and fostering scientific temperament in Earth System Science. The participation was fully supported by MoES under its Outreach and Awareness program, which began with an all-India test facilitated by the Geological Society of India that saw approximately 17,800 students appear across 500 centers nationwide. The top 25 meritorious students underwent an intensive three-week training camp in June 2026 at M.S. University, Vadodara, Gujarat.
Dr. T. Srinivasa Kumar, Secretary of the Ministry of Earth Sciences, also commended the students and mentors for achieving India's highest-ever medal tally in the competition. The Ministry continues to build scientific awareness through flagship initiatives like the IESO alongside major national missions such as the Deep Ocean Mission, Mission Mausam, and PRITHVI.