Feature
Kerala flood toll reaches 370, rescue operations continue
The death toll due to the devastating rains and floods in Kerala increased to 370, as two more deaths were reported on Sunday with rescue operations continuing in the worst affected districts of Alappuzha, Ernakulam and Thrissur.
Authorities also withdrew the red alert which was issued in these three districts and the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Sunday predicted moderate rains in a few districts of the state.
The worst affected places where people have remained stranded for the past three days without food or water include Chengannur, Pandalam, Thiruvalla, several areas in Pathanamthitta district and in Ernakulam’s Aluva, Angamaly and Paravur.
But there were reports of fresh rains from these places resulting in a decrease in the water levels.
Meanwhile, a group of stranded fishermen who came to help with the rescue work in Alapuzzha from the state capital complained over the lack of coordination between authorities.
“We rescued several people but now there is no one to help us return to where we came from with our boats. We risked our lives in the rescue work but now there’s no help for us,” the group said.
V.D. Sateeshan, a Congress legislator from Paravur, Ernakulam, slammed the state Health Ministry over its failure to send relief teams.
In response, Health Minister K.K. Shailaja said that although the water level has come down in many areas, medical facilities might not have reached certain regions due to the magnitude of the crisis.
“This is because medical professionals found it difficult to reach the affected areas and by now it has been almost resolved. We need a huge quantity of medicines. A major health drive is being planned to prevent communicable diseases,” the minister said.
She added that medical teams from neighbouring states will arrive soon.
“Now the problem is that with the water level coming down, it might not be able to operate the big boats and hence we will have to use small or rubber boats. There are areas in Chengannur where rescue missions are yet to reach and also in some interior water logged areas in Alappuzha,” said a group of rescue workers in Alappuzha.
Rains in the catchment areas of the big dams in Idukki district have also subsided with the authorities shutting two of the five floodgates at the Idukki dam. The outflow of water from both the Mullaperiyar and Idukki dams have also reduced.
As a result of this, the water flow into the Periyar and its tributaries that flow through Ernakulam and Thrissur has come down.
On Sunday, the Kottayam rail sector restarted operations with special passenger trains
The stste-run Kerala State Road Transport Corporation also restarted operations on the MC Road to Kottayam.
Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, who arrived in the state capital earlier on Sunday, told the media that the central assistance that has been sanctioned was too little.
“The response from all across the country has been very well what needs to be done now is that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should declare this crisis as a anational disaster,” said Yechury.
Responding to the Kerala opposition’s demand that the rescue operations should be handed over to the Army, state CPI-M secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala was playing politics when the state was facing one of the worst ever natural disasters.
“The rules are very clear and it is that the Army should act under the National Disaster Management Authority. It’s not possible to hand it over to the Army and Chennithala is playing politics,” said Balakrishnan.
Kerala is facing the heaviest rains and consequent widespread floods and destruction since 1924, which the state estimates has caused a loss of over Rs 19,500 crore.
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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