Feature
Terror acts in India a challenge: Modi
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today stated that Thursday said the “expanding footprint” of extremist and terrorist organisations in Pakistan and their links with terror activities in India was a major security challenge.
Addressing the concluding session of the conference of governors at Rashtrapati Bhavan, the prime minister said ceasefire violations were continuing along the Line of Control.
According to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office, Modi said the government had moved away from the model of “one-size-fits-all” schemes and was working towards cooperative, competitive federalism through the NITI Aayog.
Modi also talked about security challenges and said the government has adopted a multi-pronged approach to counter infiltration from across the Pakistan border.
“The prime minister said that the expanding footprint of extremist and terrorist organisations in Pakistan, and their link with terror activities in India, is a major security challenge,” the statement said.
He outlined the broad thrust of the central government’s policies and said they were oriented towards all-round economic growth.
He urged states facing the problem of Left-wing extremism to adopt a coordinated approach to tackle the problem.
Modi stressed the need for ending the infrastructure deficit in the northeast to realise the immense potential of the region and to help it march forward shoulder-to-shoulder as part of “Team India”.
The release said the prime minister spoke extensively on tribal development, and referred to the Vanbandhu Kalyan Yojana, which was initiated in 2007 when he was the Gujarat chief minister.
He stressed the need for stable employment for tribals.
Modi spoke about initiatives of the union government including the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, Direct Benefit Transfer, Digital India mission, Make in India mission, skill development and elimination of outdated laws.
He asked teh governors to contribute in the successful implementation of important central schemes.
Modi said the governors were chancellors of universities and in that capacity, they should inspire youth and their families to work towards Swachh Bharat (Clean India).
He also touched upon social issues such as drug abuse, declining sex ratio and food adulteration.
Referring to rural electrification, he said 20,000 villages still remained without electricity, and also talked about pending projects in road, rail and power sectors.
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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