Feature
Proud to live in country where grandson of cook can be president: Obama
New Delhi: US President Barack Obama in his public address today stated that he is very proud to live in country where grandson of cook can be president.
Obama, addressing a town hall meeting at the 2,000-seating capacity Siri Fort Auditorium, one of the largest in the capital that is the venue for large concerts, said that his grandfather “was a cook for the British army in Kenya” and that “distant branches of Michelle’s family were slaves”.
“When we were born people who looked like us still could not vote in some parts of the country,” said Obama, the first coloured president of the US.
Referring to the colour prejudice that continues to exist in some parts of the US, he said: “Even as America has blessed us with the extraordinary opportunity (to be president), there are moments when I am treated differently because of the colour of my skin.”
Parts of the US have been rocked by anger over the fatal shooting incidents of unarmed black teens and young men by white policemen. The incidents, including in Ferguson, have led to loud protests, especially with no action being taken against the erring policemen.
He said that both he and Michelle follow the Christian faith but there have been times when people have questioned his faith.
“I am also proud to live in a country where the grandson of cook can be president” and also referred to the opportunities in India where “a Dalit can write the constitution and a tea seller can be prime minister”, referring to Dalit icon B.R. Ambedkar, who is known as father of the Indian constitution, and to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is known to have sold tea in his youth on the railway platform in his hometown in Gujarat.
“The aim of our work must be that everybody has the chance to dream big and reach those limits,” he said, to loud claps.
Obama struck a personal chord with the mainly youthful crowd, saying he was very impressed with the daredevilry of the motorcycle contingent riding Royal Enfield bikes and wished he could ride a bike too. “But the Secret Service does not let me ride motor cycles”.
He said that on his last visit to Mumbai he and Michelle had danced with the youth, and that the next day newspapers had praised her dancing. But, he said “unfortunately, we were not able to schedule any dancing on this visit.”
Speaking on women’s rights, he referred to Michelle, who was in the audience, and said: “Michelle is a strong and intelligent woman. She is not afraid to speak her mind or tell me when I am wrong, which happens very frequently”, to loud cheers from the invited audience that comprised youths, students, NGOs and diplomats.
He said he was the proud father to two strong and beautiful girls, who the couple have been raising with strong values.
The US’ first couple later held hands and walked down and met the ecstatic audience and shook hands with them for close to 10 minutes.
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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