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New Delhi/Imphal, Oct 15 (IANS) Union Minister for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Jyotiraditya Scindia on Wednesday called for a focused and pragmatic start and proposed a different approach to strengthen sports in the North Eastern region.
Emphasizing that success depends more on soft skills like coaching and talent scouting than infrastructure alone, Scindia called for committed coaches, identification of grassroots talent and creation of local leagues and academies. Union Minister Scindia and Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla on Wednesday co-chaired the second high-level task force meeting on promotion of sports in the north-eastern region through video conferencing.
Issues such as infrastructure development, coaching, talent identification, competition performance and programmes, sports science, funding, monitoring, data governance and management through public and private sector partnerships were discussed to strengthen the sports ecosystem in the North Eastern region.
Governor Bhalla appreciated the vision of the Minister and said that the initiative will help in strengthening sports in the North-East by focusing on training, talent development and local leagues, which will provide more opportunities to young players.
He also said that each state should build on its specific strengths. The Governor appreciated the continuous efforts and commitment of the Central Government to promote sports infrastructure and nurture talent in the North-Eastern region.
Participating in the virtual meeting, Union Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Raksha Nikhil Khadse reaffirmed the Ministry’s unwavering commitment to support and advance the development of sports in the North-Eastern region. He stressed the government’s commitment to nurturing talent at the grassroots level and ensuring that young athletes from the region receive the necessary infrastructure, training and experience to excel at national and international platforms.
Sports Minister of Mizoram, Chief Secretaries of Manipur, Nagaland and Mizoram, North Eastern Council (NEC), DoNER Ministry and commissioners and senior officials of state sports departments also participated in the meeting virtually.
Meanwhile, several high level task forces were constituted by the DoNER Ministry to identify key interventions and formulate actionable short-term, medium-term and long-term strategies for integrated development of the North East Economic Corridor and other critical sectors including tourism, sports and education.
The high-level task forces were formed after the 72nd Plenary Session of the North Eastern Council (NEC) held in Agartala, Tripura in November last year. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who is the Chairman of the NEC, chaired the NEC Plenary Session.
–IANS
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