Feature
Islamic scholar dubs attack on Amarnath pilgrims as murder of humanity
Lucknow: Popular Islamic Scholar Salamatullah in an exclusive interview with ‘Aaj Ki Khabar’ today slammed and condemned terrorists attack on the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) camp during which seven Amarnath yatra pilgrims were killed in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag district yesterday.
The Muslim scholar, Salamatullah, dubbed this heinous act as ‘attack on Humanity’; he also pronounced it as cruel act. He further added that such kind of attacks on security forces and religious places by the militants is an act to disturb peace and harmony of the country with such poisonous steps.
He further said that he strongly slams and condemned this terrorist act and stands with the family members also extend all kind of support to the deceased victims.
Salamatullah who is a delhiites shared his view with ‘Aaj Ki Khabar’ during a telephonic interview. His reaction came after seven Amarnath pilgrims were killed and 12 others injured, including policemen, on Monday when a bus of yatris was caught in a cross fire between militants and a police party in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantang district.
Islamic Scholar said that he will pray for the wellness of the country and will never allowed such kind of act that disturbs secularism of the country which also harms humanity.
Islamic Scholar Salamatullah condemned terrorists attack on Amarnath yatra:
While reacting on the question asked by our journalist that when Intelligence Bureau (IB) has warned earlier of a possible terrorist attack at Amarnath Yarta then who will be blamed for the failure to provide security to the pilgrims, he said that I don’t know that who’s failure causes such act but this is incident is murder of humanity and peoples should be treated with strict action.
He also said this terror act is attack on secular thinking and ideology. This condemnable act is just to disturb peace of country apart from dividing people of our nation, so it is my request to the Center government to take strict action against militants in the Kashmir valley.
Salamatullah further added people of our country pays full respect to the pilgrims of Amarnath Yatra and whole nation is united to let this religious ceremony to be completed with peace and harmony.
He also appealed to the people of Kashmir to get united and help local administration, security forces to make Amarnath Yatra successful by providing assistance to the pilgrims.
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.