KOHIMA — As Nagaland dips its toe into the vast
and unexplored world of Esports in this year’s edition of Hornbill Festival,
Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, Labour and Employment, Mansukh
Mandaviya, on Saturday said that the Centre has recognised this genre’s
potential to drive economic growth.
“Unlike earlier times when gaming was seen merely as a
hobby, Esports has now been acknowledged as a serious, competitive field, with
growing investments and support from various stakeholders,” he said during an
interaction with Nagaland officials at Indira Gandhi Stadium, Kohima.
Mandaviya, who arrived on Saturday, is on a two-day visit in
Nagaland.
According to him, the union government’s initiatives to
promote Esports in India reflect its vision to make the country a global hub
for digital sports.
Beyond gaming, the minister pointed out, the Esports
industry is contributing significantly to the economy by creating diverse job
opportunities in areas such as game development, broadcasting, event
management, and content creation.
Moreover, with increasing support for start-ups and ventures
in the gaming sector, the Centre is driving investment and innovation, paving
the way for India to emerge as a global hub for Esports excellence, he added.
Mandaviya said that India has undergone a remarkable
transformation in the field of sports in the last decade: from being mere
participants to serious contenders on the global stage, be it at the Olympics,
Paralympics, or international tournaments.
“This transformation is the result of strategic planning,
grassroots engagement, and a steadfast commitment to excellence,” he said.
He also highlighted the various initiatives launched to
foster a culture of sports and support athletes, such as Khelo India, Fit India
Movement, Target Olympic Podium Scheme, National Sports Development Fund and
the National Sports Infrastructure Scheme, District Level Sports Schools
(DLSS), Retired Sportsperson Empowerment Training (RESET), and National Sports
Repository System (NSRS).
Proposals
During the interaction, the Nagaland Olympic Association
(NOA) expressed support for the state government’s proposal for the Sports
Authority of India (SAI) to take over the multi-disciplinary sports complex
located in Dimapur and turn it into a SAI Centre of Excellence.
In a series of proposals presented to the union minister,
the association requested the inclusion of belt wrestling as a full-fledged
medal event in the forthcoming National Games in Uttarakhand. It also pushed
for the inclusion of Pencak Silat in the same competition.
Further, the NOA requested infrastructure support, stating
that Nagaland has a rich history and tremendous scope in the field of sport.
However, “poor and outdated infrastructure has become our biggest challenge as
the state has only one multi-purpose stadium, and there is a lack of even basic
sports infrastructure in different parts of the state,” the association stated.
The association urged the sports ministry to undertake
serious measures to build up sports infrastructure, including synthetic tracks,
multipurpose stadiums, and multi-indoor sports stadiums in different districts
of Nagaland.
It suggested increasing the number of Khelo India Centres in
Nagaland, especially in sports disciplines where the youth have potential, such
as athletics, archery, badminton, football, table tennis, taekwondo, boxing,
and others.
T Ao Stadium at Kohima
The Nagaland Football Association also submitted a proposal
to construct Dr. T. Ao Stadium at Kohima in memory of the first captain of the
Indian Olympic football team.
It informed the union minister that Nagaland government has
already allotted 10 acres of land to the association for the stadium.
Prior to this interaction, the union minister had a meeting
with Governor La Ganesan at the Raj Bhavan in Kohima.
