Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday asked the central and state sports ministers to work together “to provide quality infrastructure to every talented player in the country” and formulate short and long term goals to make India a leading sports nation. Addressing a ‘Chintan Shivir‘ (brainstorming session) of sports ministers of states and UTs being held at the Manipur capital, PM Modi underlined the need to have more competitions at the local level so that the players get the much-needed experience. He also asked the ministers to ensure no sporting talent is overlooked.

“You have to focus on sports infrastructure, and sports training according to each tournament. You also have to decide short-term, medium-term and long-term goals”, the PM said in a virtual address.

Drawing the analogy of man-to-man marking in sports like football and hockey, the PM said while the players are preparing themselves, it’s now time for the ministries to work with a different approach regarding sports tournaments.

Touching upon Khelo India Scheme, the Prime Minister noted that it has definitely improved sports infrastructure at the district level and urged the ministers to take the improvements to the block level.

Modi also stated that the participation of all the stakeholders, including the private sector, is important.

The PM also suggested that the National Youth Festival be rethought to make it more effective and said that such programmes held in the states should not become just a formality.

“India will be able to establish itself as a leading sports country only when such efforts are made all-round,” the Prime Minister said, according to a release from Press Information Bureau. He expressed confidence that the sports ministers from all over the country will have a learning experience at the end of the ‘Chintan Shivir’.

“Any Chintan Shivir begins with contemplation, proceeds with rumination and ends with implementation,” the PM said, while underlining the need to discuss future goals and also review the previous conferences.

Recalling the previous meeting in Kevadiya in 2022, the Prime Minister pointed out that many important issues were discussed and an agreement was reached to make a road map for an ecosystem for the betterment of sports.

He touched upon increasing the participation between the center and the states in the sports sector and highlighted the strides that have been made. He further added that this review should not be carried out at the level of policies and programmes but on infrastructure development and sports achievements of the previous year.

The PM also noted that Northeast India and Manipur have significantly contributed to taking forward the sports tradition of the country.

“Many sportspersons from the Northeast have raised the glory of the Tricolour by winning medals for the country. Northeast adds new colours to the country’s cultural diversity and provides new dimensions to the country’s sports diversity,” he said.

He said projects worth more than Rs 400 crores related to sports infrastructure were giving a new direction to the development of Northeast India.

The Prime Minister highlighted the indigenous games of the region such as Sagol Kangjei, Thang-ta, Yubi Lakpi, Mukna, Hiyang Tannaba, Oo-Lawbi, and said that they are very attractive in their own right.