Imphal, Manipur: The North-East sports strategy took center stage as Union Minister for Development of the North Eastern Region (DoNER), Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, along with Governor of Manipur Ajay Kumar Bhalla, co-chaired the third and final High-Level Task Force (HLTF) meeting on the Promotion of Sports in the North-Eastern Region on Wednesday via video conferencing, according to an official release from Raj Bhavan, Imphal.
The meeting was attended by senior officials from North-Eastern states, including Union Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Raksha Nikhil Khadse, Secretary of the Ministry of Youth Affairs Hariranjan Rao, the Sports Ministers of Meghalaya and Mizoram, state Chief Secretaries, and officers from the DoNER Ministry.
Deliberations reviewed the progress of ongoing sports initiatives and focused on developing a coordinated framework to strengthen talent pathways and high-performance systems. Key areas included scientific coaching methodologies, competition structures, last-mile infrastructure, and the establishment of high-performance centres and academies.
Scindia emphasized the “One Sport Discipline – One State” strategy, urging each state to select priority disciplines, leverage existing ecosystems, and prepare evidence-based, long-term proposals. The initiative aims to build strong regional talent pipelines and establish the North-East as a hub of high-performance sports at national and international levels.
The meeting concluded with a shared commitment to advancing sports in the North-East through coordinated planning, Centre-State collaboration, and structured investment, reflecting the government’s holistic approach to empowering young athletes across the region.
