Feature
Akhilesh again sharpens attack on Yogi Adityanath over development issue
Lucknow: Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and National President of Samajwadi Party Akhilesh Yadav today during a press conference in Kanpur again taken sharp attacks on Yogi Adityanath by saying that current government only make false promises and unable to fulfill them.
During his press conference in Kanpur city, Akhilesh said that due to wrong policies of present Saffron party led Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) government the business in the state has gone to its worst place.
The former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh said that current government in the state has only taken swear to clean holy river Ganga but in reality they have not taken any serious step to clean the river Ganges.
Akhilesh also accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of “spreading hatred and dividing the society” for petty gains.
“The BJP has no agenda, neither development nor anything else, all that they know is to spread rumours, speak lies and prop up one false issue after another,” he told reporters in Unnao enroute to Kanpur for a personal engagement.
“This is a party which pulls out one trick after another from their bag and try to fool the people, but sadly for them the people have understood things now and they will reject them,” he added in reference to the urban bodies elections slated for later this month.
Former UP CM Akhilesh takes dig at Yogi Adityanath over wrong development issue:
He said the BJP’s defeat in the Chitrakoot Assembly seat in Madhya Pradesh on Sunday was a reflection of the people’s rejection.
Targeting the BJP’s “Sankalp Patra” (election manifesto), the former Chief Minister said the party has been promising so many things but is yet to give a report card of the past seven months since they have been in power in Uttar Pradesh.
The BJP, he added, must before making new promises throw light on whether the promises made during the 2014 Lok Sabha polls and 2017 Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls have been fulfilled.
“How many roads have been made, how many bridges have been made, how many smart cities have been made?” he asked.
The Samajwadi Party President also took on the BJP on demonetisation and said that this move has created a class conflict.
He also request people of the state for again electing Samajwadi Party in 2019 and 2022 election to root out Saffron led BJP government from Center and states.
Also read: Yogi Adityanath picks temple town Ayodhya to start civic polls campaign
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.