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.