Feature
Lucknow Metro completes first anniversary, CM Yogi inaugurates Mobile app
Lucknow: Honorable Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath today on the first anniversary of Lucknow Metro Rail Corporation (LMRC) inaugurated mobile app that has also been integrated with the government of India’s “Chalo App” and will act as a guide for the city.
As Lucknow Metro completes its first year and during the celebrations of “Lucknow Metro Diwas” today, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister said that metro is a status symbol of a city and the government plans to connect more cities with metro.
With Lucknow Metro completes one year on September 5 and here is what all has changed in the last 1-year. Although metro is a very convenient mode of transport, people are skeptical about its use here, as they do feel cheaper means of public transport already exists in Lucknow. But that can only be decided once the metro is fully ready and functional.
“Now three cities of the state have metro connectivity-Lucknow, Ghaziabad and Noida. We will connect more cities with metro,” the chief minister said before inaugurating a metro app that will enable commuters to recharge their Metro GoSmart cards. The app will also help the commuters to locate the nearest Metro station, fares, train timings and directions.
The app has also been integrated with the government of India’s “Chalo App” and will act as a guide for the city.
“Metro is not just a better transport system for the public, but also a status symbol that our city is a metro city,” the chief minister said at the inaugural function.
He said that a detailed project plan for metro has been sent for Kanpur, Agra and Meerut.
Now, to find out how the metro has been performing now, our team went on a ride from Charbagh to Alambagh and this time we found everything to be right on track!
Yogi Adityanath inaugurates Mobile app of Lucknow Metro on its first anniversary:
The stations are in perfect shape and the number of trains has also been increased from 3 to 6.
We also spotted the famous Vada Pav chain- Goli and some more cafes and shops at the Chabagh metro station. Many more eating joints are to open in other metro stations.
Riders have significantly increased in the number and in about 6 months, the North-South (21 stations) corridor will be ready too. So by March 2019, trial runs will begin in other areas as well.
The N-S corridor stretches from Chaudhary Charan Singh (Amausi) airport to Munshipulia, for which the minimum fare is Rs 10 and maximum is Rs 60. The fare of the Lucknow Metro has been finalized by keeping in mind the fare of other metro projects in the country and also the competition from other transport options in Lucknow.
About Hazratganj Metro Station: The Hazratganj Metro Station is almost ready and it’s going to be the longest underground station in the city, with a maximum number of shops, lounges, cafes and ATM’s. The station will have four entries-Cathedral School, LIC office, Mayfair Building and near DRM office. The metro station of Hazratganj is inspired by kathak and has been painted beautifully with kathak mudras!
Avail smart card and travel cheap: Local commuters and tourists can buy smart cards called GO-smart from any metro station, and avail a discount of 10%. The card comes at a price of Rs.200, in which Rs.100 is the fare top-up and Rs.100 is the security amount, which is refundable.
Lucknow Metro Phase- 2 is expected to begin in 2019.
Entertainment
Meghalaya Reserves Legalized Gambling and Sports Betting for Tourists
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.