Imphal: Union Minister for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Jyotiraditya M. Scindia on Tuesday stressed the need for a focused, practical, and outcome-oriented approach to further strengthen the sports ecosystem in the Northeastern states, officials said.
A Lok Bhavan, Manipur official said that state Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla, along with the Union DoNER Scindia, on Tuesday co-chaired the 4th High-Level Task Force meeting on promotion of sports in the Northeastern region through video conferencing.
Union Minister Scindia emphasised a focused and practical approach to strengthening sports in the Northeast, proposing the concept of “one sport one state”.
Highlighting the importance of coaching quality, talent scouting, and grassroots competitions, he called for structured tournaments from village to state levels and the preparation of discipline-specific case studies for each state.
The Governor appreciated the vision, noting that focused training, talent development, and local leagues would expand opportunities for young athletes across the region, comprising eight states – Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura.
The meeting also focused on strengthening sports infrastructure, enhancing coaching and talent identification mechanisms, promoting competitions in village and rural areas, and expanding inclusive opportunities for young athletes across the region to nurture sporting excellence sustainably, the Lok Bhavan official said.
Mizoram Sports and Youth Services Minister Lalnghinglova Hmar, Secretary, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Manipur Chief Secretary Puneet Kumar Goel, and senior officers from the Northeastern states, DoNER Ministry, and state sports departments participated in the meeting.
Meanwhile, the DoNER ministry had constituted several High-Level Task Forces to identify key interventions and formulate actionable short-term, medium-term, and long-term strategies for the integrated development of the North East Economic Corridor.
The task forces on various sectors were constituted following the 72nd plenary session of the North-Eastern Council (NEC) held in November last year in Agartala and presided over by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
(IANS)
