Arunachal: Chowna Mein opens maternity care and youth centres in Miao

Arunachal Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein has opened a new maternity and child care centre and a youth activity centre in Miao in Changlang district, and reviewed work on the state sports academy being built in the town, The News Mill reported on Sunday.

The visit coincided with the ninth Namdapha Butterfly Festival in Miao, which Mein also attended.

Specialist care for mothers and children

The Maternity and Child Care Centre has been set up under the Community Health Centre in Miao with funding from the North Eastern Council (NEC). It is meant to give families in Changlang district better access to specialised care for mothers and babies, with services planned in gynaecology and obstetrics, paediatrics and anaesthesiology.

Mein said building up health infrastructure, especially in remote and underserved areas, remains a priority for the state government.

A space for young people

The Youth Activity and Development Centre was funded under the state's 2021-22 budget announcements and built by the Jairampur division of the urban affairs department. It is intended as a place where young people can take up activities and build skills.

Sports academy under construction

At the site of the Permanent State Sports Academy, Mein asked that quality be maintained and the work be finished on time, saying it would give young athletes modern training facilities.

According to the report, Phase I of the academy includes:

• a football and cricket ground;
• an eight-lane athletics track;
• a synthetic hockey field;
• an Olympic-size swimming pool;
• a multipurpose indoor hall, an auditorium and a physiotherapy and health centre; and
• hostels and housing for athletes, coaches and staff.

Tourism push at Namdapha

At the butterfly festival, first held in 2018, Mein said the event could grow into a larger platform for tourism and research, and pointed to opportunities in eco-tourism, trekking and wildlife experiences in Namdapha National Park and Tiger Reserve.

He also felicitated young badminton players from Miao sub-division who won medals at the Dorjee Khandu Memorial Badminton Championship 2026, including Taba Akam, Takar Rai and Lemru Mossang.

Assembly Speaker Tesam Pongte, Nampong MLA Laisam Simai and Chief Wildlife Warden Samuel Changkija were among those present.