Feature
India expresses concern over allegation on use of chemical weapons by ISIS
The Hague: India has expressed concern over new allegations on the use of chemical weapons in different parts of the world and called for bringing to justice the perpetrators of such abhorrent acts.
Ambassador Venu Rajamony also said that India is worried about the reports of the so-called Islamic State’ or ISIS acquiring chemical weapons and their delivery systems, according to the statement issued at the 87th session of the Executive Council (EC) of the Organisation of Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.
He requested the Technical Secretariat to closely monitor this threat and report to the Executive Council on this emerging challenge.
Rajamony, who is the Permanent Representative of India to Organisation of Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, said it has been India’s consistent position that the use of chemical weapons anywhere, at any time, by anybody, under any circumstances, cannot be justified and the perpetrators of such abhorrent acts must be held accountable.
The use of chemical weapons is in complete disregard of humanity, and is reprehensible and contrary to the provisions of the chemical weapons convention as well as accepted international legal norms, it said.
India worried about allegation on use of chemical weapons by ISIS or Islamic States:
“India views the Chemical Weapons Convention as a unique, non-discriminatory disarmament instrument which serves as a model for the elimination of an entire category of weapons of mass destruction. Our efforts in the OPCW should help to eliminate all possibilities of any future use of chemical weapons, so that we can reach the shared goal of a world free of chemical weapons,” Rajamony said yesterday.
The OPCW has achieved much success in moving towards the goal of a world free of chemical weapons and the threat of their use, he said.
“Emergence of non-state actors and the threat of acquisition and use of chemical weapons by them further complicate the situation. This calls for greater and continued vigilance as well as renewed efforts towards enhancing the adaptive capacity for the organisation,” Rajamony said.
He said destruction of chemical weapons is the most important undertaking made by every state party to the convention.
Under the vigilant eyes of this organisation, over 96 per cent of chemical weapon stockpiles declared by possessor states have been eliminated, he said.
“We also congratulate Iraq on achieving the completion of the destruction of the entire declared stockpile of chemical weapon remnants in Iraq. We hope that the remaining chemical weapon stockpiles will also be destroyed soon,” Rajamony said.
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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