IESO 2026: Union Minister Jitendra Singh Felicitates Indian Students After Winning 9 Medals, Including 4 Gold, At International Earth Science Olympiad
Union Minister Jitendra Singh felicitated Indian school students after Team India secured a record nine medals, including four gold, at IESO 2026 in Turin. India delivered its best-ever performance at the International Earth Science Olympiad.
Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Earth Sciences, Dr Jitendra Singh, felicitated and interacted with the Indian school students who delivered the country’s best-ever performance at the 19th International Earth Science Olympiad (IESO) 2026, securing nine medals, including four gold.
The special appreciation and motivation meeting was held at Prithvi Bhawan, Lodhi Road, New Delhi, where the minister congratulated the young achievers, their parents and schools for bringing international recognition to India.
India records Best-Ever IESO Performance
The Indian contingent competed against students from 39 countries at the 19th IESO, held in Turin, Italy, from August 20 to 27, 2026.
Team India won a total of nine medals - four gold, three silver and two bronze, across Written and Practical Examinations, the International Team Field Investigation (ITFI) and Earth Science Project (ESP) categories.
The performance marks India's highest-ever medal tally in the history of the international competition.
Among the standout performers was Soumik Mandal of DAV Model School, Durgapur, West Bengal, who won two gold and one silver medal and finished third in the overall global ranking among participants from 39 countries.
The other medal winners were:
Aaron Maiti, DAV Model School, IIT-KGP, West Bengal - 1 Gold, 1 Bronze
Riddhi Ranjan, Gyan Asthali International School, Patna, Bihar - 1 Gold, 1 Silver
Md Ehtesham Rizwi, Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Bihar - 1 Silver, 1 Bronze
Dr Jitendra Singh congratulates students
Congratulating the contingent, Dr Jitendra Singh expressed pride in the students’ achievement and praised their dedication and performance on the international platform.
He also congratulated the parents and schools of the medal winners, noting their role in supporting and nurturing the students.
The minister said the Ministry of Earth Sciences remains committed to empowering young people through student-centric outreach programmes, developing scientific temperament at an early stage and encouraging students to explore Earth System Science.
Dr T. Srinivasa Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences, also commended the students and mentors for achieving India's highest-ever medal tally at the IESO.
17,800 Students took part in National Selection Test
The achievement followed a structured national selection and training programme supported by the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) under its Outreach and Awareness programme.
The selection process began with an all-India Earth Science test facilitated by the Geological Society of India (GSI). Around 17,800 students appeared for the test across nearly 500 centres nationwide.
Following the selection process, the top 25 students were shortlisted for an intensive three-week training camp held in June 2026 at M.S. University, Vadodara, Gujarat.
The training programme was part of the ministry's effort to strengthen the country's pipeline of young talent in Earth sciences. The camp location was also rotated across different regions of the country to provide wider participation and exposure.
MoES focuses on building scientific temperament
The Ministry of Earth Sciences has been using initiatives such as IESO to expand awareness of Earth System Science among school students and encourage them to consider careers in scientific research.
Alongside the Olympiad, the ministry's major initiatives include the Deep Ocean Mission, Mission Mausam and PRITHVI, which are aimed at strengthening scientific capabilities while increasing public awareness of Earth and environmental sciences.
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