Arunachal Pradesh to Build Massive Football Stadium and Boost Yak Economy

Itanagar: Arunachal Pradesh will build a new football stadium near Holongi in the Papum Pare district. Chief Minister Pema Khandu confirmed the venue will hold between 25,000 and 30,000 spectators. Officials already identified one lakh square metres of land for the project. The state completed the tendering process and expects construction to start within a month.

This facility aims to grow football across the region. It will work alongside the existing Golden Jubilee Stadium in Yupia to support local athletes. Football remains a popular sport in the state.

Khandu also set his sights on the high-altitude yak economy. He led a virtual meeting with the Indian Army, the Animal Husbandry, Veterinary and Dairy Development department, and the ICAR-National Research Centre on Yak to map out the industry's future. He wants to move past traditional products like milk and chhurpi. The roadmap targets scientific breeding, dairy value addition, yak fibre, and community-based border tourism to drive growth.

Khandu emphasized the importance of these animals for the frontier regions. "The yak sustains our high-altitude communities, preserves our cultural heritage and contributes to the resilience of our frontier regions. We must transform this traditional livelihood into a sustainable source of economic opportunity," he wrote on X. These efforts seek to bolster incomes while keeping the yak population healthy.