Arunachal 25,000 Seat Football Stadium Under PM DevINE Drives Northeast Rise

The union minister JM Scindia hosted an extensive review meeting on the status of the sport infrastructure across the northeastern states, whereby a detailed report had been prepared on the promotion of Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh.

Days after this review meeting, CM Pema Khandu announced a state-of-the-art football stadium allocation under the prime minister's initiative for the development of the north-east region (PM-DevINE) scheme. Under this scheme,a sanction of ₹6,600 crore was announced under the 2022-23 budget for a 4-year period for the advancement of the seven sister states. The declaration was made at the most apt occasion of the U-23 tri-football friendlies at the Golden Jubilee Outdoor Stadium.

The targeted project is scheduled to start in early 2026 with an estimated cost of ₹200 crores. The stadium shall accommodate 25000 spectators, emerging as the largest football stadium in the state.

Former football icon Sunil Chhetri took this opportunity to encourage the youth to participate actively in sports, as he was seen gleaming with joy during the announcement. The football culture of the northeast, inspired by Indrajit Namchoon, the first athlete to bring international recognition to the home state, is being taken seriously, evidenced by the prestige received by the Mini Anini Stadium.. The facility received FIFA certification earlier this year, which reinstated the state's vision of emerging as the next football capital of the region.

The 69th National School Games 2025 (Under-17 Boxing) was recently hosted at the Khelo India Centre at Itanagar for the first time. The centre is constantly pushing for building the area as a major sports hub with major stadium projects for areas in Lower Dibang Valley, Lower Siang, Pakke Kessang, and Longding districts.