Feature
Modi draws parallel with Lord Krishna, targets Akhilesh
Hardoi (Uttar Pradesh): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that despite being born in Gujarat, he had chosen Uttar Pradesh as his land of vocation, drawing a parallel with Lord Krishna who was born in Uttar Pradesh but made Gujarat his “karma bhoomi”.The Prime Minister said he was an adopted son of Uttar Pradesh and vowed not to ditch the people of the state. He also took a dig at Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav over his rift with father Mulayam Singh Yadav.
“Krishna was born in Uttar Pradesh but made Gujarat his karma bhoomi. I was born in Gujarat but Uttar Pradesh has adopted me. It is a privilege for me. Uttar Pradesh is like ‘mai-baap’. I am not a son who would ditch his mai-baap. I will always care about Uttar Pradesh. “Despite being an adopted son, it is my duty to develop Uttar Pradesh,” Modi told an election rally here in Uttar Pradesh.
Talking about ISRO creating a world record by successfully putting 104 satellites into orbit, Modi said the world is talking about success of our scientists and the countrymen are feeling proud.”Everyone is working hard to take the country to new heights but what will happen if Uttar Pradesh lags behind,” he said.”Samajwadi Party, Congress, Bahujan Samaj Party never thought about the bigger picture. All they did was to serve a select few, guided by political calculations. The fortune of the state can not be changed untill it gets rid of these political parties,” Modi added.
In his hour-long address, Modi also took on the state government over the law and order situation, saying it has failed to protect its own people as the state register maximum numbers of killings, while it alone registers 50 per cent cases related to Arms act.”Police stations of the state have become party office of a political party. No case is being registered here untill the area chief of the ruling party okays it. Illegal weapons have become business here, which kills more than 3,000 people each year. Only those having links with the ruling party get government jobs,” Modi said.
“The situation in UP due to the failure of the state government is such that we need to work hard to overcome this,” he added.He said if BJP comes to power, it will waive off the loans of the farmers in its first cabinet meeting.Hardoi votes on Sunday in the third phase of the staggered elections to chose a new government in the country’s most populous state.
Entertainment
Meghalaya Reserves Legalized Gambling and Sports Betting for Tourists
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.