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Jayalalithaa ‘very critical’, thousands outside hospital
Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa’s condition is “very critical”, Apollo Hospitals said on Monday, just hours after a union minister claimed she was out of danger.A brief hospital statement said the AIADMK leader, who suffered a cardiac arrest on Sunday evening, “continues to be very critical and is on ECMO and other life support systems”.ECMO or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation is a life support system used for patients with life threatening heart or lung problems.
Apollo said the 68-year-old Jayalalithaa, who has been in hospital since September, was being treated and closely monitored by experts.She then described the Chief Minister’s condition as “critical”.
Maharashtra Governor C. Vidyasagar Rao, who has additional charge of Tamil Nadu, visited the hospital on Sunday night.But he did not issue any statement after his hospital visit. On earlier occasions, Raj Bhavan used to issue statements each time he visited Apollo Hospital.Apollo said on Sunday evening that Jayalalithaa “is being treated and monitored by a team of experts including cardiologists, pulmonologist and the critical care specialists”.In an another tweet, the hospital said: “The Hon’ble CM is the beloved leader of the masses. Please join us in praying for her speedy recovery. #GodblessAmma #Jayalalithaa.”
A large number of police personnel was deployed at the Apollo hospital. Security was also stepped up across the sprawling state where Jayalalithaa enjoys widespread support.
Many broke down outside the hospital as they collected behind police barricades. Some men and women, their hands folded, offered silent prayers for Jayalalithaa’s early recovery. Some tried to enter the hospital premises but were restrained. Jayalalithaa’s posters were held high by her supporters. Fans also offered special prayers in temples. Some parts of Chennai experienced shortages of milk as traders jacked up prices fearing a shutdown.President Pranab Mukherjee joined the political class in wishing Jayalalithaa a speedy recovery.
“Distressed to hear about Jayalalithaa suffering a cardiac arrest, my prayers for her speedy recovery,” said a post on the President’s Twitter account.DMK chief M. Karunanidhi and his son and party leader M.K. Stalin also conveyed their best wishes for her recovery.
“Praying for Jayalalithaaji’s quick recovery. I hope she gets better very soon,” said Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi.West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed her concern. “May God bless her. “Maharashtra prays for her speedy recovery,” posted Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Rajasthan counterpart Vasundhara Raje tweeted: “May she get recover soon.”
RJD chief Lalu Prasad said: “Totally worried… Let’s all pray for her.”Apollo Hospital had earlier said she was on the road to recovery and she could take a decision on going home.Meanwhile, authorities in Kerala strengthened security on the border with Tamil Nadu. Police were put on alert in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Idukki and Palakkad districts that border Tamil Nadu.
The State Scores Extra High on Gaming-Friendly Industry Index
Meghalaya scored 92.85 out of 100 possible points in a Gaming Industry Index and proved to be India’s most gaming-friendly state following its recent profound legislation changes over the field allowing land-based and online gaming, including games of chance, under a licensing regime.
The index by the UK India Business Council (UKIBC) uses a scale of 0 to 100 to measure the level of legalisation on gambling and betting achieved by a state based on the scores over a set of seven different games – lottery, horse racing, betting on sports, poker, rummy, casino and fantasy sports
Starting from February last year, Meghalaya became the third state in India’s northeast to legalise gambling and betting after Sikkim and Nagaland. After consultations with the UKIBC, the state proceeded with the adoption of the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Act, 2021 and the nullification of the Meghalaya Prevention of Gambling Act, 1970. Subsequently in December, the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021 were notified and came into force.
All for the Tourists
The move to legalise and license various forms of offline and online betting and gambling in Meghalaya is aimed at boosting tourism and creating jobs, and altogether raising taxation revenues for the northeastern state. At the same time, the opportunities to bet and gamble legally will be reserved only for tourists and visitors.
“We came out with a Gaming Act and subsequently framed the Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021. The government will accordingly issue licenses to operate games of skill and chance, both online and offline,” said James P. K. Sangma, Meghalaya State Law and Taxation Minister speaking in the capital city of Shillong. “But the legalized gambling and gaming will only be for tourists and not residents of Meghalaya,” he continued.
To be allowed to play, tourists and people visiting the state for work or business purposes will have to prove their non-resident status by presenting appropriate documents, in a process similar to a bank KYC (Know Your Customer) procedure.
Meghalaya Reaches Out to a Vast Market
With 140 millions of people in India estimated to bet regularly on sports, and a total of 370 million desi bettors around prominent sporting events, as per data from one of the latest reports by Esse N Videri, Meghalaya is set to reach out and take a piece of a vast market.
Estimates on the financial value of India’s sports betting market, combined across all types of offline channels and online sports and cricket predictions and betting platforms, speak about amounts between $130 and $150 billion (roughly between ₹9.7 and ₹11.5 lakh crore).
Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Delhi are shown to deliver the highest number of bettors and Meghalaya can count on substantial tourists flow from their betting circles. The sports betting communities of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana are also not to be underestimated.
Among the sports, cricket is most popular, registering 68 percent of the total bet count analyzed by Esse N Videri. Football takes second position with 11 percent of the bets, followed by betting on FIFA at 7 percent and on eCricket at 5 percent. The last position in the Top 5 of popular sports for betting in India is taken by tennis with 3 percent of the bet count.
Local Citizens will Still have Their Teer Betting
Meghalaya residents will still be permitted to participate in teer betting over arrow-shooting results. Teer is a traditional method of gambling, somewhat similar to a lottery draw, and held under the rules of the Meghalaya Regulation of the Game of Arrow Shooting and the Sale of Teer Tickets Act, 2018.
Teer includes bettors wagering on the number of arrows that reach the target which is placed about 50 meters away from a team of 20 archers positioned in a semicircle.
The archers shoot volleys of arrows at the target for ten minutes, and players place their bets choosing a number between 0 and 99 trying to guess the last two digits of the number of arrows that successfully pierce the target.
If, for example, the number of hits is 256, anyone who has bet on 56 wins an amount eight times bigger than their wager.
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