Union Minister for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Jyotiraditya M Scindia has pitched for a focused and outcome-oriented approach to sports development in the Northeast, reiterating the ‘One Sport, One State’ model as a way to build regional sporting excellence.
Scindia was co-chairing the fourth high-level task force meeting on the promotion of sports in the North Eastern region through video conferencing on Tuesday, alongside Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla.
The meeting reviewed ongoing initiatives and discussed ways to strengthen sports ecosystems across the region.
Emphasising the need for quality coaching, systematic talent identification and strong grassroots engagement, the DoNER minister stressed the importance of structured competitions from the village to the state level.
He also proposed the preparation of discipline-specific case studies for each state to enable focused planning and targeted investment.
Senior officials from the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, the governments of the Northeastern states, DoNER, and state sports departments participated in the meeting.
Mizoram’s sports minister, the Manipur chief secretary and other top officials were also present.
Governor Bhalla underscored that concentrated training programmes, talent development initiatives and local leagues could significantly expand opportunities for young athletes across the region, according to a statement issued by the Governor’s Secretariat.
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Later, sharing details of the meeting on social media platform X, Manipur Lok Bhavan said discussions centred on improving sports infrastructure, strengthening coaching and talent identification systems, promoting grassroots competitions and ensuring inclusive opportunities for young sportspersons to nurture excellence in a sustainable manner.
The ‘One Sport, One State’ approach has been repeatedly highlighted by Scindia in recent meetings of the task force.
During the previous session held last month, he had described the strategy as a key driver for structured development and focused investment in sports disciplines across the Northeast.
