ITANAGAR, 14 Jul: Prime Minister’s Office Director Rugved Milind Thakur on Monday assessed the ground-level implementation of Khelo India projects and schemes in Arunachal Pradesh.
Thakur, accompanied by Guwahati-based SAI Assistant Director Ananya Sharma, visited the Khelo India accredited centre here, and interacted with stakeholders and beneficiaries to identify best practices, challenges, and gather inputs for evidence-based documentation, the Arunachal State Badminton Association (ASBA) informed in a release.
The director also interacted with the executive members of the ASBA, senior coaches, and over 30 young athletes to gather firsthand information.
“The interaction provided valuable insights into the aspirations, progress, and challenges faced at the grassroots level,” the release said.
Thakur reaffirmed the Government of India’s commitment to nurturing sporting talent across the nation under the Khelo India initiative.
ASBA secretary-general Bamang Tago gave a detailed presentation on the current sports landscape in the state, highlighting key challenges and outlining future strategies and initiatives, including a comprehensive five-year action plan aimed at strengthening the grassroots sports ecosystem in the state and mission for Target Olympic Podium.
Tago, who is also the secretary-general of the Arunachal Olympic Association, pointed out that incorrect choices of locations for Khelo India multipurpose halls, fully funded by the ministry to the tune of Rs 8 crore, has become a concern for all stakeholders and beneficiaries as most of these projects have been constructed far away from the district headquarters.
“The visit provided an excellent platform to deliberate on the implementation of Khelo India schemes/projects with a special focus on the unique context of Arunachal Pradesh,” the release said.
During the visit, Thakur was accompanied by of Sports Director-cum-state nodal officer for Khelo India schemes Tadar Appa, District Sports Officer (HQ) Nada Apa, SAI NCOE Assistant Director Satrajit Kachari, and high-performance manager at the state level Khelo India Centre, Chimpu, Harnam Singh.
