Mizoram cabinet grants industry status to sports

To give a boost to the sports sector in the state, the Mizoram Cabinet on Friday granted industry status to sports.

Speaking to PTI after the cabinet meeting, state Sports minister Robert Romawia Royte said the cabinet has cleared the proposal of the Sports and Youth Service department to grant sports an industry status.

He said it was a significant move to take forwards the segment in a more systematic and sustainable manner.

He hailed the decision as “historic” and “unprecedented” development in the history of Mizoram, which will usher in rapid as well as large scale development in various fields of sports.

“This is a clear show of the states commitment towards holistic development of sports. We hope to attract more private companies to invest in sporting activities as Mizoram has evolved conducive sports eco-system,” Royte said.

He claimed that Mizoram was the first state to grant industry status to sports.

He said that the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and other big industrial bodies have been demanding industry status to sports since a long time.

Royte, who also holds Tourism portfolio, said that the state government had last year recognised tourism as an industry so as to include investors in the field.

According to an official, the meeting of the council of ministers chaired by chief minister Zoramthanga also approved the “proposal on economy measures to be adopted by the government of Mizoram in the wake of COVID-19,” which focuses mainly on austerity measure to fight back economic slowdown caused by the outbreak of novel coronavirus.

Among others, the cabinet also approved “Draft Mizoram government employees (Counting of Past Service) Rules, 2020,” “Mizoram Goods & Services Tax (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020” and “Proposal for allotment of land for construction of Mizoram Upa Pawl (MUP) at Khawzawl by carving out an area from land allotted to the power and electricity department,” he said.

(PTI)