Feature
Lok Sabha takes up triple talaq bill
The Lok Sabha on Thursday took up the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2018, for discussion and passage amid protests by the Opposition which demanded that the proposed legislation be sent to the select committee for detailed deliberations.
Moving the Bill for passage, Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the Bill was not against any community, religion or belief, rather it would ensure justice to women.
“Between January 2018 and December 10, around 477 cases of triple talaq has come to the fore. Even yesterday (Wednesday), such a case from Hyderabad came to our knowledge. That is why we brought an ordinance,” he said.
Pointing out that 20 Islamic countries had banned triple talaq, the Minister asked why a secular nation like India could not have this?
“I request that this should not be looked through the prism of politics. This house made provisions for hanging the rapists. The same House passed bills against dowry and domestic violence to protect the rights of women. So, why can’t we speak in one voice on this Bill,” he said, urging the House to pass the Bill unanimously.
Earlier, the Opposition members protested against moving the Bill and demanded that it be referred to the select committee.
“It’s an important Bill and needs a detailed study. It is also a constitutional matter. It is also related to a specific religion. I request this Bill must be referred to the select committee,” Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge said.
His demand was supported by TMC’s Sudip Bandopadhyay, AIADMK’s P. Veugopal, AIMIM’s Asaddudin Owaisi, NCP’s Supriya Sule, RSP’s N.K. Premchandra and AAP’s Bhagwant Mann.
The demand was virtually rejected by the government.
“When the Bill was brought earlier in the House, the Congress members supported and voted in its favour. That time they did not demanded the Bill to be sent to select committee,” Prasad said.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said that the Bill was very important. “Seeing the importance of the Bill, there must not be politics over it,” he said.
The Bill was introduced amid din in the Lok Sabha on December 17 by Prasad.
It seeks to replace an ordinance issued earlier for protecting the rights of married Muslim women and prohibiting divorce by pronouncing “talaq” by their husbands.
The ordinance was promulgated in September, making the practice of instant triple talaq an offence under the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
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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