Feature
Railways will use Nirbhaya Funds for Women’s security: Prabhu
New Delhi: With the huge expectations of several key reforms, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu presented his maiden full-fledged Rail Budget today.
Prabhu started his Rail Budget by saying that Railways has not improved over decades due to low investment in infrastructure.Chronic under-investment has led to clogging, which should be put to end.
He said that the improvement of connectivity is our priority and added that increasing speed of trains will be targeted.
Delivering his aims towards Railways, he said that Improve capacity, Making Railways safer, Modernise infrastructure is our precedence.
He also said that the customer experience to get Big boost and also added that the government will work closely with states.
Prabhu, in his maiden budget, said that Rs 8.5 lakh crore investment needed in railways over next 5 years.
He also said that improving operating ratio of 88.5%, is the best ever in 9 years.
Delivering a good news for the passengers, Prabhu said that there is no increase in Passenger fare.
He also said that the toilets needs a major improvement in the Railways and added that 17,000 toilets to be replaced by modern toilets.
He further added that 7000 new toilets will be established in atleast 650 Railway Stations.
Prabhu also said that E-catering facility will be set up in 108 trains and the passenger can order food online while booking tickets.
He added that Railways will use Nirbhaya Funds for Women’s security and said that CCTV cameras to be used in select women coaches.
Prabhu also added that Wi-Fi facility to be delivered in Category B stations and it would be better, easy to climb ladders in all coaches.
Presenting his maiden budget, Prabhu also said that New Bullet Trains to run on existing tracks.
He further added that the passengers can now book Rail Tickets 4 months in advance and added that mobile charging facility can be used in all compartments.
Prabhu said that 77 new projects for expansion has been planned at cost Rs. 96 crore for Railways.
Passengers travelling unreserved, can buy ticket within 5 minutes through smart phones; debit card, says Prabhu.
He added that SMS alert service can be used to inform about the upgraded arrival & departure timings.
Delivering relief to the senior citizens and disabled, Prabhu said that Online booking of wheelchairs for senior citizen, patients and differently-abled people.
Prabhu said that 67% more Funds allotted for the passengers convenience and added that the connectivity to North-East will be enhanced.
He also said that Will hike annual freight capacity by 1.5 bn tn.
Prabhu said that Four dedicated freight corridors to be completed this year; 6608 kms of track to be electrified.
He also added that Delhi-Mumbai journey can be completed overnight now.
Prabhu also said that train collision avoiding system will be implemented soon.
He also said that Open bids to be invited from private parties to develop railway stations and added that speed of trains running at 110-130 kmph to be increased to 160-20 kmph.
Prabhu also said that Green technology locomotives to be introduced and 10 cities identified for creating fully-functional satellite terminals to reduce overcrowding.
Two dedicated freight corridors gathering steam and added that Innovation Council and Technology Portal to be set up to invite suggestions on improvements.
Prabhu added that Rs. 2000 crore has been planned for coastal Railway connectivity and Railway helpline number 138 will become operational for 24×7 and toll-free 182 for security related complaints.
He added that the government is preparing 5-year corporate safety plan to be ready in 3 months to recognize annual quantifiable targets Rs 6,750 crore allocated for eliminating 3438 level crossings; 970 road-underbridge and road-overbridge to be constructed.
He also said that 2015-16 plan size raised by 52 per cent to Rs 111,000 crore.
Speaking on the launching new trains, Prabhu said that he has received requests for more trains and will make announcements after a review.
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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