Feature
CM Yogi claims his government succeeded in ending ‘JUNGLE RAAJ’ in state
Lucknow : Claiming his government succeeded in ending ‘jungle raaj’ in the state, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that UP was galloping on the road to development due to the political will shown by the government to tame corruption and tenacity to introduce new innovative methods aimed at benefiting the poor and farmers.
“It is the end of dynastic and caste politics in UP. Instead, the focus is now on farmers and youth. People, pan-India, have started looking towards UP as we have been able to perform that unthinkable six months back – that of controlling crime. The end of jungle raaj has infused new confidence among investors. They are now looking towards the state as the next investment destination,” Yogi said while addressing media persons while releasing his six-month report card in Lucknow on Tuesday
The CM also released a booklet `Badh chala Uttar Pradesh, ek nayee disha ki ore’ which focussed on government achievements in all sectors – from agriculture to health and from power to industrial development.
“The high point of our six-month rule has been improvement in law and order. Earlier, on an average, two riots were reported every month. But in the last six months not a single riot has taken place in UP. In the previous regime, police remained a mute spectator because criminals enjoyed political patronage. With the change of guard, this has changed. Criminals are criminals. Even if they have political connections, they need to be punished,” he said. Elaborating his point, Yogi said that in the last six months, 431 police encounters took place and 17 top criminals were killed. Over 1100 criminals, of which 668 carried awards, were arrested. “The Gangster’s Act was invoked against 69 criminals, who acquired property through illegal means,” he said.
“All these action have given a sense of security among masses. The government has authorized the DGP and Police Captains to hike reward on wanted criminals. This is bound t o have a positive impact on the police morale,” the CM said.
Yogi spoke about achievements in agriculture wherein the government’s initiative to purchase wheat and paddy directly from farmers left a positive impact. The CM also revealed the government’s proposal to link Khatauni with Adhar card. “If we can do it this will end corruption in the village level,” the CM stressed.
“This government is coming up with new ideas. Over 1.53 lakh hectare of government land is encroached. Process has begun to free this and once we are done, all gram sabhas will have thousands of acres of surplus land,” Yogi said. Yohgi also spoke about government initiative to provide houses under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, ration cards to bonafide beneficiaries, improvement in power availability, increase in enrolment of students under ‘School chalo abhiyaan’ and make roads pot-hole free by 2017 end. “The Bundelkhand expressway between Agra to Jhansi that will be extended up to Allahabad and Purvanchal expressway connecting Lucknow with Ghazipur will transform the face of UP. Besides, Metro rails in Allahabad, Varanasi, Gorakhpur and Agra will ease transporation,” he said adding that divisional headquarters will soon be connected with Lucknow by air.
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.