India secures 7th rank at 66th international mathematical olympiad
India delivered a stellar performance at the 66th International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) held in Sunshine Coast, Australia, finishing 7th among 110 participating countries, matching its best historical rank and setting a new national record.
The six-member Indian team returned with a full medal tally, comprising three gold, two silver, and one bronze. With a cumulative score of 193 out of 252, this marks India's highest-ever score at the IMO, surpassing all previous records since its debut in 1989.
The gold medal winners were Kanav Talwar, Aarav Gupta, and Adhitya Mangudy. Abel George Mathew and Aadish Jain took home silver medals, while Archit Manas earned a bronze. The students, hailing from various parts of India, including four from Delhi, competed against 630 participants worldwide.
The team's performance places India 7th globally, a rank it had previously achieved in 1998 and 2001. This also marks the second time India has won three gold medals at a single IMO, with the first instance occurring in 1998. India's best-ever performance came in 2024, when the team secured the 4th position and bagged four gold medals.
The Indian delegation was led by Prof. Shanta Laishram of the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), Delhi, with Dr. Mainak Ghosh from ISI Bengaluru serving as Deputy Leader. Observers included MIT undergraduate Atul Shatavart Nadig and Dr. Rijul Saini.
The selection and training of India's IMO team are coordinated by the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE), TIFR, the national nodal agency for Olympiad programmes in subjects like mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, and astronomy.
India's sustained excellence at the IMO has been underscored by consistent top-10 finishes—seven in total since 1989—and an accelerating medal count in recent years. Between 2023 and 2025 alone, Indian students have clinched nine gold medals. The IMO challenges participants with six advanced-level problems in areas such as algebra, combinatorics, number theory, and geometry. Each student can earn a maximum of 42 points, with the combined team score capped at 252.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Mint
an hour ago
- Mint
Let the countdown begin: NISAR is a splendid example of space collaboration
Earlier this month, Wing Commander Shubhanshu Shukla returned to earth after spending 18 days in space. He is only the second Indian to have been to space, and piloted the Space X Dragon with its Axiom-4 crew to the International Space Station (ISS) and back. While this mission was commercially arranged, the activities and experiments that Shukla conducted will aid India in its Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme in the coming years. Also Read: How ISRO's partnership with NASA will boost India's space industry Gaganyaan 1 and 2 are expected to place unmanned crafts in low-earth orbit that will be launched in late 2025 and 2026, respectively. Gaganyaan 3 is expected to launch a crewed craft later in 2026 or early 2027. Shukla himself was trained both at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre in Moscow and subsequently at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. Another remarkable area of collaboration between the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) will come to fruition with the launch at the end of July of a jointly-developed satellite called NISAR. The acronym stands for Nasa-Isro Satellite Aperture Radar. The mission is organized to collect an unprecedented amount of information about our planet's environment. It will scan nearly all of Earth's land and ice surfaces twice every 12 days. This will let us track the expansion and contraction of ice sheets, sea ice and glaciers, plus the deformation of its crust due to natural hazards as well as natural and man-made changes to terrestrial ecosystems. These measurements will be carried out by two radar systems—an L-band system and an S-band system. This dual-band system is the first of its kind in the world. The L-band system was built in the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) at Nasa and the S-band system at the Space Applications Centre (SAC), Ahmedabad. JPL will additionally provide a high-rate telecom subsystem for scientific data, a solid-state recorder and a payload data subsystem. Isro will provide the satellite bus, a solid-state recorder and a payload data system, in addition to launch services and a launch vehicle. Also Read: Mint Quick Edit | Space tourism: Can Isro beat Blue Origin? The NISAR satellite, which weighs nearly 2400kg, has been moved to Sriharikota in preparation for its launch at the end of this month. It will lift off on Isro's GSLV-F16 rocket and then be placed in a 743km sun-synchronous orbit. There are many exciting space missions around the world this year and the next. These span lunar spaceflight, asteroid and planetary missions, climate and earth science missions and orbital innovation (of which NISAR is an example). Nasa, JAXA, ESA, Isro and CNSA lead almost all these programmes. Today, 55 countries have signed the Artemis Accords—a set of principles guiding peaceful and transparent space exploration, especially of the Moon and Mars. At a time when countries are at loggerheads on earth, civilian space collaboration continues apace. If you look deeper, you will find threads of countries going it alone. The most obvious example is the CNSA, particularly Tiangong, China's space station launched in 2021. While China's stated goal is to make it a collaborative international project, it is currently operated by China alone. Tiangong is technically the third space station, since it follows the Mir Space Station that the Soviet Union (and later Russia) had stationed in low-earth orbit from 1986 to 2001, and the ISS, which was launched nearly 25 years ago and is still operational. Surprisingly, Russia is part of the ISS and has committed to remaining so at least until 2028. China, though, has never been part of the ISS. Also Read: Space race: Is competition among Indian startups ready for lift-off? Geopolitics on Earth is beginning to shape some country collaborations in space. The International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) announced by Roscosmos and CNSA in 2021 is led by Russia and China but includes several other countries like Azerbaijan, Belarus, Pakistan and South Africa. The ILRS has announced plans to power a permanent station on the Moon with a nuclear plant to be operational beginning in 2031. After the Soviet Union's space programme, this is the first space mission that seems like an alternative to Western efforts. Brazil, South Korea and India operate space programmes that are not just independent, but also open to wide global collaboration. India's civilian space effort has distinguished itself with its frugal missions, ability to master complex engineering feats like landing near the Moon's south pole, and its overall success in terms of speed and design effectiveness. Missions that explore the far reaches of our solar system and beyond are better left to countries that have very large space budgets. Also Read: Space mission Axiom 4: The universe can be a family one day Nasa has several telescope-based missions for interstellar space and craft-based missions for Jupiter, Saturn and beyond. India has a fast-growing private space sector, but its best returns on space investment are likely to come from parts of space that are close to earth, like near-earth orbits and the Moon. This priority is reflected in Isro's next few missions, be it the planned launch of large and small payloads, uncrewed and crewed missions to low-earth orbit, or its directional tilt towards an Indian Space Station by 2035. Renewed interest in this sector has brought about a new momentum and opened up exciting possibilities for Indian discoveries in space. P.S: 'We are just an advanced breed of monkeys on a minor planet of a very average star. But we can understand the Universe. That makes us something very special," said cosmologist Stephen Hawking. The author is chairman, InKlude Labs. Read Narayan's Mint columns at
Mint
2 hours ago
- Mint
Indian contract drug makers timed their IPOs right. But is the business worth the premium?
An anticipated shift in the global pharmaceutical supply chain away from China has investors excited about Indian contract research, development and manufacturing organisations (CRDMOs), companies that offer services from early-stage drug discovery to late-stage drug development. Export-focused CRDMOs including Anthem Biosciences, Sai Life Sciences and Divi's Laboratories are trading at expensive valuations, reflecting investor enthusiasm as innovator drug companies look at diversifying and derisking their operations. However, experts cautioned that while CRDMOs are expected to post high growth, their financial performances have yet to reflect it. Bengaluru-based Anthem Biosciences made a stellar debut on the stock exchanges on 21 July, listing on the National Stock Exchange at a premium of 27 percent over its initial public offering price of ₹ 570. The IPO, with an issue size of ₹ 3,395.79 crore, was subscribed 67.42 times. Anthem's stock traded at a price-to-earnings (PE) ratio of 93.24 on 25 July. 'The good news is that… China is a behemoth. So, we have that much headroom to grow,' Ajay Bhardwaj, managing director and chief executive officer, told Mint earlier. About 65% of India's imported bulk drugs and advanced drug intermediates worth $3.5 billion in FY25 came from China, according to the commerce ministry. The government wants to strengthen local manufacturing through an upgraded drugs production-linked incentive scheme as it pushes for self-sufficiency in bulk drugs that go into manufacturing medicines. The Indian CRDMO industry today is worth $3-3.5 billion, making up only 2-3% of the global CRDMO market, which is worth $145 billion. It grew at a compound annual growth rate of 15% from 2019-2024, according to a recent report by BCG and IPSO. The industry is at a tipping point, with strong fundamentals and massive headroom to grow, fueled by competitive advantage in small molecule capabilities, faster startup time, focus on quality and cost advantages, the report noted. Unlike CRDMOs, CDMOs (contract development and manufacturing organisations) are typically involved in manufacturing already commercialised drugs. Sai Life Sciences, which made its market debut in December 2024, traded at ₹ 837 on 25 July, close to its high of about ₹ 851, valuing the company at roughly 102 times trailing earnings and about 8.2 times book value. Divi's Laboratories and Syngene International also traded at premiums, at a PE ratio of 80.31 and 55.09, respectively. In comparison, generic pharmaceutical giants are valued relatively modestly: Sun Pharmaceutical Industries trades at a PE ratio of 37.37, Dr Reddy's Laboratories at 18.84, and Cipla at 23.53. Sai Life Sciences shares are up over 18% since listing on the NSE. Divi's Laboratories gained 35.56% from 30 July 2024 to 28 July 2025, Piramal Pharma rose 20.36%, while Syngene International's shares were down 12.72%. Syngene International, a unit of biopharmaceutical company Biocon, kicked off this fiscal's earnings season last week. It posted an 11% year-on-year rise in revenue from operations to ₹ 875 crore for Q1, a robust start compared to its FY25 performance (4% revenue growth YoY). The management maintained its expectation of revenue growth in the mid‑teens for FY26. Sai Life Sciences delivered 16% revenue growth to ₹ 1,695 crore in FY25. Divi's reported a 19% year-on-year rise in full-year revenue to ₹ 9,360 crore in FY25, while net profit surged 37% to ₹ 2,191 crore. Divi's is expected to post revenue growth of 18% year-on-year in Q1FY26, according to brokerage BNP Paribas. 'The Indian CDMO sub-sector presents a highly promising opportunity as investors view it as a direct beneficiary of the China+1 thematic,' Sunil Khaitan, managing director leading financing in India at Goldman Sachs, told Mint. 'We expect the capital markets activity in this space to further accelerate over the next 6-12 months.' The China-plus one theme – to diversify supply chains and reduce overdependence on China – is a key driver, but it's not just that. CRDMOs are on an aggressive capacity expansion track as they anticipate winning over more clients in the future and bank on technological niches to cater to biotech companies as demand for new technologies and drugs grows. Anthem has expertise in new chemical entities as well as biologics (drugs made from living organisms or their components) and capabilities to work on RNAi (a gene regulatory mechanism), antibody drug conjugates that target and kill cancer cells, peptides (short chains of amino acids), lipids, and oligonucleotides (synthesised nucleic acids). OneSource Specialty Pharma, a subsidiary of Strides Pharma, which listed in January, expects its focus on niche areas such as biologics, drug substances, injectables, and drug-device combinations to drive growth. Its offerings in drug-device combinations, particularly for GLP-1s (hormones that regulate blood sugar levels), which are often sold in pen-filled devices, is expected to be a major growth opportunity. 'We are currently executing a 5x expansion of our cartridge-filling capabilities to meet our customer demand and which will significantly boost future revenue,' CEO Neeraj Sharma told Mint in an emailed response. Anthem Biosciences and Sai Life Sciences did not respond to Mint's queries. Investors are looking at CRDMOs not just for potential growth driven by these tailwinds but also as diversification of their portfolios, experts said. Opportunities in traditional pharma companies with a focus on domestic formulations and US generics are drying up because of a slowdown in new approvals and regulatory issues. 'The investor would like to have exposure to companies and segments which have the potential for high growth and themes of shifting manufacturing from China to India,' Tausif Shaikh, healthcare and pharma analyst at BNP Paribas, told Mint. While CRDMOs have reported steady, mid-teen revenue growth, their performance has not been encouraging enough even as valuations remain expensive, Shaikh pointed out. Unlike sectors such as healthcare services, where one can gauge a company's performance based on metrics like hospital bed occupancy and average revenue per bed, for contract drug manufacturers, management commentary is the main indicator of the company's expected growth and performance, said Shaikh. Most companies report an uptick in interest from innovators to hire their services and have embarked on aggressive capacity expansion. Syngene plans to boost its biologics manufacturing footprint in FY26 through its newly acquired US facility for $36.5 million. Divi's Laboratories is undertaking a ₹ 650-700 crore capacity expansion at its existing facilities, while Sai Life Sciences has completed the second phase of its Bidar Unit IV capacity expansion for small-molecule active pharmaceutical ingredients and intermediates. On the back of this, the growth outlook remains strong. "Earnings are expected to be strong for export-oriented CDMOs for the next 2-3 years considering the capex projects and potential addition of new molecules,' Shrikant Akolkar, pharma equity research analyst at brokerage Nuvama, told Mint. However, the CDMO business is non-linear, Akolkar said, adding that one must pay attention to the annual performance and not a couple of quarters of number misses.
Hans India
2 hours ago
- Hans India
AIIMS-led study shows two-drug combination therapy effective in controlling high BP
New Delhi: Using a single pill comprising two blood pressure medicines is a safe and highly effective way to treat hypertension among South Asians, particularly Indians, finds a study led by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi. The study, in partnership with the Centre for Chronic Disease Control (CCDC) and Imperial College London, UK, compared three widely used drug combinations: amlodipine plus perindopril, amlodipine plus indapamide, and perindopril plus indapamide. The first randomised trial to test three different two-drug combination pills among South Asians involved over 1,200 patients with uncontrolled hypertension across 32 hospitals in India. "All three combinations worked equally well in reducing blood pressure and were safe for patients,' revealed the study, published in the journal Nature Medicine. The findings showed that either of the two-drug combinations led to a significant drop in blood pressure after 6 months -- by around 14/8 mmHg when measured over 24 hours and about 30/14 mmHg in clinic settings. 'Nearly 70 per cent of patients got their blood pressure under control, a huge improvement over the current national average. And the pills were safe and easy to use. This study gives clear guidance for better hypertension care,' said Dr Ambuj Roy, Professor of Cardiology at AIIMS Delhi. 'This study shows that a single daily pill with two drugs can be a simple and powerful way to manage blood pressure in Indian and South Asian patients,' said Dr Dorairaj Prabhakaran, Executive Director of CCDC. High blood pressure (hypertension) is the leading risk factor for death worldwide and affects over 300 million people in India alone. Treating it early and effectively can prevent heart attacks, strokes, and kidney failure. Doctors often recommend starting with two medications in one pill to control blood pressure better and help patients stick to treatment. But until now, no large study had tested which combinations worked best for South Asians, who make up a quarter of the world's population. The results revealed that nearly 70 per cent of patients with any of the dual drug therapy reached the recommended blood pressure target of below 140/90 mmHg -- five times higher than India's current average control rate. Less than 3 per cent of patients reported side effects serious enough to stop treatment. 'These findings can help guide doctors and policymakers. If added to India's list of essential medicines and made available at primary health centres, these pills could greatly improve blood pressure control in the country,' Prabhakaran said.
