MoS Raksha Khadse chairs high-level meeting on strengthening Maharashtra's sports ecosystem
New Delhi, July 23
The Union Minister of State for Youth Affairs & Sports, Raksha Khadse, chaired a high-level meeting with senior officials of the Government of India and the Government of Maharashtra to deliberate on a comprehensive roadmap for strengthening the state's sports and youth development ecosystem.
Reinforcing the spirit of cooperative federalism, the discussions focused on institutional reforms, high-performance sport, athlete development and governance, to position Maharashtra as a leading sporting state while contributing to India's long-term sporting ambitions.
The meeting was attended by Pravinsinh Pardeshi, Chief Executive Officer, MITRA; Hari Ranjan Rao, Secretary (Sports), Government of India & Director General, Sports Authority of India; Ram Singh, Secretary, Sports Authority of India; Ranjit Singh Deol, Principal Secretary (Sports), Government of Maharashtra; and R. Vineel Krishna, Joint Secretary (Khelo India), Department of Sports, Government of India.
The deliberations covered a broad reform agenda aimed at creating an athlete-centric, professionally managed and future-ready sports ecosystem in Maharashtra.
Discussions focused on institutional reforms in sports governance, strengthening high-performance systems, capacity building of coaches through structured Continuous Professional Development programmes, enhanced sports science support, robust athlete development pathways, strengthening Mission Lakshyavedh, comprehensive assessment of Khelo India Centres, sustainable sports infrastructure development, professional management of sports facilities, digital athlete management systems, greater participation of the private sector, international collaborations for knowledge exchange, reforms in the State's competition structure to ensure transparent and merit-based athlete progression, and the implementation roadmap for Project Mahadevaa.
The meeting also deliberated on measures to strengthen the Youth Affairs ecosystem through dedicated institutional mechanisms, enhanced youth engagement, leadership development and greater convergence among stakeholders.
Chairing the meeting, MoS Khadse emphasised that close collaboration between the Union and State Governments is essential for achieving the objectives of the Khelo Bharat Niti and realising the vision of Viksit Bharat under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
She noted that the proposed reforms would complement the vision of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to further strengthen Maharashtra's position as one of India's leading sporting states through institutional reforms, professional governance and sustained investment in athlete development.
The meeting concluded with a shared commitment to advancing these reforms through continued cooperation between the Government of India and the Government of Maharashtra, with the larger objective of building a globally competitive sports ecosystem and creating greater opportunities for athletes and youth across the State.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Good to see cooperative federalism in action! Maharashtra has produced amazing athletes but we need systematic support. The emphasis on digital athlete management systems and sports science is long overdue. Just hope the private sector participation doesn't lead to commercialization harming genuine talent.
Interesting development. As someone who moved to Pune for work, I've noticed the disparity in sports facilities between cities and villages. The talk about "professional management of sports facilities" is key—many grounds here are poorly maintained. Let's see if this roadmap translates into real change for local clubs.
All these meetings sound great on paper but implementation is the real challenge. My cousin trained in a Khelo India centre in Nagpur and the coaching quality was inconsistent. Hope the Continuous Professional Development for coaches actually happens—not just another seminar where they serve chai and biscuits! 😅
Respectfully, I am cautiously optimistic. The vision is good—especially the focus on athlete development pathways and merit-based progression. But we need accountability. Who will monitor these Khelo India Centres? What about transparency in funding? I hope the "reforms in competition structure" means ending the quota system that sometimes blocks deserving athletes.
Impressive list of officials and reform areas. The private sector and international collaborations part is crucial—look at how Australian or UK sports systems have professionalized. Maharashtra has the talent pool and economic base to become a powerhouse. Just don't let bureaucracy kill the momentum.
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