DoNER pushes ‘One Sport, One State’ initiative to strengthen sports in Northeast

Imphal: The Union Minister for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, along with Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla, on Tuesday co-chaired the 4th High-Level Task Force Meeting on Promotion of Sports in the North Eastern Region through video conferencing.

Senior representatives, including the Sports Minister of Mizoram, the Secretary of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, the Chief Secretary of Manipur, and senior officials from Northeastern states, DoNER, and state sports departments, also attended the meeting. This was stated in a communiqué issued by Lok Bhavan, Imphal.

During the meeting, Scindia emphasised a focused and practical strategy to strengthen the sports ecosystem in the Northeast. He proposed adopting the concept of “one sport, one state”, urging states to channel resources into priority disciplines. He also stressed the need for quality coaching, robust talent scouting, and competitive exposure. Moreover, he called for structured tournaments from the village to the state level and suggested preparing sport-specific case studies for each state.

Meanwhile, Governor Bhalla welcomed the vision. He said that focused training, systematic talent development, and strong local leagues would significantly enhance opportunities for young athletes across the region.

This was the second meeting held to push forward sports promotion in the Northeast. Earlier, on November 19, 2025, Bhalla and Scindia co-chaired the 3rd and final meeting of the High-Level Task Force (HLTF) through video conferencing. According to the communiqué, that meeting ended with a collective commitment to transform the sports scenario of the Northeast through coordinated planning, evidence-based strategies, and close Centre–State collaboration.