We want to be partners in progress: Scindia visits Manipur, assures Centre's full support for development

This marks the first high-level ministerial visit to Manipur since Union Home Minister Amit Shah's visit, underscoring the Centre's continued commitment to the state's progress.

Scindia reiterated the Centre's role as a proactive enabler of Manipur's growth journey. "We want to be partners in progress with Manipur," he said, assuring full support from the Ministry in fast-tracking developmental priorities and addressing challenges on the ground.

During his visit, Scindia chaired a comprehensive review meeting with Ajay Kumar Bhalla, the Governor of Manipur, senior officials from the Government of Manipur, and representatives from the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (MDoNER). The discussions centred around aligning state and central efforts to ensure seamless delivery of key infrastructure and welfare initiatives.

With support from the Governor, the Minister also directed concerned departments to expedite progress, resolve bottlenecks, and maintain transparency and efficiency in project execution.

Minister Scindia also underlined Manipur's vast potential across multiple sectors, particularly tourism, sports, handloom, and infrastructure. These sectors, he noted, have the capacity to drive economic growth and enhance employment in Manipur.

An in-depth analysis was presented by MDoNER to highlight Manipur's comparative and competitive advantages relative to other Indian states.

As part of his visit, Minister Scindia also participated in a High-Level Sports Task Force Meeting chaired by Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla, with Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma, Nagaland Deputy Chief Minister T R Zeliang, and Meghalaya officials in attendance. Lauding Mizoram as the first state to grant industry status to sports, the Minister outlined a two-pronged strategy for sports development in the North East--one, grassroots talent identification, and two, honing excellence in coaching.

Emphasising that infrastructure development, such as Stadiums, comes last in the sequence, he drew from Brazil's model of nurturing raw talent and stressed the need for coaching centres with region-specific pedagogy, public-private-partnership (PPP) investments, and a sharper, strategic focus on sportswomen.

With numerous sports projects in the pipeline in the region, Scindia urged state governments to move beyond their comfort zones, identify and nurture athletes from villages, and establish a future-ready sports ecosystem in the region for the 2036 Olympics.

Minister Scindia urged all stakeholders to work in alignment with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of transforming the North East into the growth engine of a Viksit Bharat.