Feature
Indian diaspora “has emerged as an important and unique force: Sushma
New Delhi: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj today stated that Indian diaspora “has emerged as an important and unique force and Modi is welcoming many entrepreneurs, investors for India growth.
Speaking at the inauguration of the International Conference on “Indian Diaspora and Cultural Heritage: Past, Present and Future” organised by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), the minister said the Indian diaspora “has emerged as an important and unique force, making a positive difference in all fields of human endeavour, from economics to politics”.
“We hold our heads high when members of the diaspora are appreciated, honoured, respected and recognised for their outstanding contribution in their respective countries of residence. The success and prosperity of the diaspora is our asset, as much as a strong and a self-reliant India is to the diaspora. We are determined to work closely with the diaspora for mutual benefit,” she said.
“We share a symbiotic relationship. To put it simply, in India’s march forward to its rightful place in the comity of nations, our fates are bound together.”
Sushma Swaraj said that India is today “witnessing an unprecedented resurgence of interest from around the world. The intense exchange of high-level visits and the qualitative change in the nature of our interaction with the world since our government has taken over is proof, if proof is required, of the growing esteem with which the world sees us”.
This, she said, “needs to be buttressed and reinforced by presenting a more sophisticated and evolved understanding of India”.
She mentioned the recent adoption of the International Day of Yoga by the UN, with a record 177 countries co-sponsoring it, as an example of the global appeal of India’s soft power.
“This soft power is anchored in our philosophical traditions, our consistent message of peace, harmony and co-existence, the attractiveness of our customs and traditions, textiles and dresses, dance and music, and, of course of our cuisine. The Indian diaspora has not just preserved these but has also played an important role in promoting and propagating these valuable symbols of who we are.”
She said the conference over the next three days would deliberate on the various aspects of India’s culture and heritage and she would be keen to receive their feedback and suggestions, especially on preserving and further popularizing the intangible aspects of culture.
“If intangible cultural heritage is not nurtured, it risks becoming lost forever, or frozen as a practice belonging to the past. Preserving this heritage, revitalizing it, and passing it on to future generations is therefore a moral imperative,” she said.
Earlier in the speech, Sushma Swaraj spoke of the journey of the thousands of Indian indentured labour in the 19th century to Africa, Mauritius, and the Caribbean, Suriname and Fiji.
She termed their journey as a “saga of supreme courage, unbending will, unwavering belief in their faith, culture and traditions and triumph against all odds”.
She said the Indian diaspora has retained its language, dress, ceremonies and traditions.
“It celebrated the same festivals that it did in India, sang the same songs, played the same music – in short, it retained its essential Indianness even as it adapted to the local milieu.”
“Just as the diaspora has maintained its links with India, India truly values its linkages with its diaspora,” she said, and added that “to pay tribute to the journey of India’s indentured labourers, to honour their pioneering spirit, resilience, endurance, and preservation of sense of origin, traditions and culture, the government of India installed a memorial in Kolkata in January 2011. Recently, we have commissioned to build a monument dedicated to the arrival of Indian indentured labourers in Guyana.”
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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