New Delhi [India], October 10 (ANI): The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship hosted a felicitation ceremony for Team India's young competitors following their historic performance at WorldSkills Shanghai 2026, where India secured its first-ever position among the world's top 10, finishing 10th globally with six silver medals and 20 Medals for Excellence.

Speaking to ANI in Delhi on Friday, Chairman of Jindal Steel & Power Limited (JSPL), Naveen Jindal, expressed delight at India's performance and said he was confident that the country would do even better in the next edition of the competition.

'I feel absolutely thrilled at India's performance at the World Skills Competition in Shanghai. I was there with my wife to see them perform, to cheer them. I was really happy that they did so well... India did so well, and we moved up from the last competition, where we were ranked 13 all over. Now we moved up to the 10th rank. The way the Indian govt is supporting skills training in the country, I'm sure in the next competition, we are going to do even better...' Jindal said.

Smriti Nambiar, India's 'Best of the Nation' awardee and a silver medallist at WorldSkills Shanghai 2026, spoke about the overwhelming support she received after the competition and her experience of meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Speaking to ANI, Nambiar said, 'The amount of love and support I've received after the competition has been so overwhelming. There have been so many people who have approached me and congratulated me... It's not every day you can say that you had the opportunity to meet the Prime Minister. It was really amazing that he took the time to come out and speak to us and really give that stage to the skills that we deserve. The kindness and patience with which he interacted with us were really lovely.'

WorldSkills Shanghai silver medallist Mehrunissa Begum also described meeting the Prime Minister as an amazing experience, saying the interaction made the competitors feel comfortable and gave them an opportunity to share their ideas and listen to his experiences.

'It's an amazing experience. I am still recovering from the high of the medal and winning at WorldSkills. Also, today we met the Prime Minister, and that was an amazing experience, to be honest. The aura that he had when he entered the room... we actually got the opportunity to talk to him... We felt comfortable around him and felt really very comfortable giving all the ideas and listening to his experiences as well. It was wonderful,' Begum told ANI.

The felicitation ceremony was also attended by Jayant Chaudhary, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and the Minister of State for Education and senior officials of the Government of India. 

Earlier on Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with the representatives of Team India at the WorldSkills Competition, Shanghai 2026, at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg, on Friday.

During the interaction, the participants shared their experiences during the competition. They expressed pride in representing their country at the world stage. The participants discussed adapting to new tools, software, technical systems and work processes during the international competition. They also spoke about the work being done by the government towards skill development, which is helping youth.

Prime Minister congratulated the participants for representing India on the global stage. He urged them to become ambassadors of skill development. He said that practical skills are as important as academic degrees.

WorldSkills is the world's leading international skills competition, bringing together young professionals from participating countries and regions to demonstrate excellence across a wide range of vocational and technical skills.

WorldSkills Shanghai 2026, the 48th WorldSkills Competition, was held from September 22 to 27, 2026, at the National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai. Team India secured 10th position at the 48th WorldSkills Competition, Shanghai 2026, winning 6 Silver Medals and 20 Medals for Excellence. India was represented by its largest-ever contingent of 70 competitors participating across 63 skills.

The interaction was also attended by Jayant Chaudhary, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and the Minister of State for Education and senior officials of the Government of India. (ANI)