Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the ‘Chintan Shivir’ of Ministers of Youth Affairs & Sports of States/UTs via video conferencing on Monday and said that the Centre and State governments will have to work collectively to provide quality sports and infrastructure to the athletes. While chairing the conference, the Prime Minister expressed delight that ‘Chintan Shivir’ is taking place in Manipur this year and many sportspersons from the Northeast have made India proud by winning medals for the country.
PM Modi said that the Northeast has played a crucial role in taking forward India's sports tradition. The Prime Minister urged all sports ministers to ensure that all sports tournaments are held regularly. He said, "A player can practice all alone and achieve fitness, but he/she needs to play continuously for an amazing performance. Therefore, more and more sports competitions need to be organised locally. This will help the players learn a lot. As a Sports Minister, you need to ensure that no game tournament is ignored."
The Prime Minister said that the Northeast is getting a new direction through sports-related projects worth Rs 400 crore. He added that Imphal's National Sports University will give more and more opportunities to the youth of the country in the future and initiatives like Khelo India's Team have played an important role in it.
PM Modi aspires to make India a leading nation when it comes to sports. He said that the nation needs to think differently and afresh to make National Youth Festival more effective. As per him, the game tournaments held at the state level now don't just remain a formality but need to be reviewed closely, He added, "When efforts are made from all around, then only India will establish itself as a leading sports country."