Feature
Strange this country does not want any trouble between India and China
Bengaluru: Exiled former Maldivian president Mohamed Nasheed today said his country, which is in a state of emergency, does not want any trouble between India and China.
“We don’t want India and China against each other, not at all,” he said at an interaction at “The Huddle”, a thought conclave, conducted by ‘The Hindu’ Publication here.
China earlier had opposed any military intervention in the Maldives, saying such a move would further complicate the situation, a day after Nasheed sought India’s help to resolve the political crisis in the island nation.
The picturesque Indian Ocean archipelago plunged into political chaos when the country’s Supreme Court ordered the release of nine imprisoned opposition politicians, maintaining that their trials were “politically motivated and flawed”.
His country is of immense strategic importance to India and China, the world’s two most populous countries dependent on energy imports, Nasheed said when asked whether the Maldives crisis could turn out to be flash point for the strain in the relationship between India and China.
Nasheed said Maldives has nothing against China, but it should not attempt to change the “state type” and have democratic oversight, among other things.
Country in ‘State of Emergency’ does not want any trouble between India-China:
“We do like China. I have nothing against China. All that we are saying is do not attempt to change state type; do not push your money in secrecy, have transparency and have democratic oversight, and things will fall in place. That is all we are saying. We are not asking for the sun, the moon and the stars,” he said.
Nasheed, currently in exile in Sri Lanka, said both India and Maldives should be mindful about the cold war brewing in the Indian Ocean because both are neighbouring countries.
“I have always been saying that there is a cold war brewing in the Indian Ocean and we should be mindful about that, and we can’t be sandwiched in between. We must make sure India’s national security and safety because we are just next door,” he said.
“We cannot suddenly doing our own thing, simply because somebody (China) decides to give some millions of dollars. It shouldn’t work like that, and hope that people in the Indian Ocean understand that this is not the way forward,” he added.
Nasheed earlier had tweeted that India should send an envoy, backed by its military, to release judges and leaders of political parties detained by President Abdulla Yameen.
The two-day “The Huddle” conclave features thought leaders, politicians, academicians, writers, artists and sports persons.
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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