Feature
See in PICS people enjoy snowfall like hailstorm lashes Delhi-NCR
New Delhi: After nearly a decade, heavy hailstorm accompanied by rains lashed several parts of Delhi-NCR including Noida and Greater Noida on Thursday, providing the city with fresh air while also making the people experience the winter chill again at the maximum temperature of 19 degrees Celsius, four notches below the season’s normal.
“This is happening after at least a decade that heavy hailstorm occurred at several areas in Delhi and adjoining areas. Areas like Noida, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Gurugram, and Palam received the maximum amount of hail and rains on Thursday evening, while central Delhi was lashed by heavy rains,” Mahesh Palawat, Director at private weather agency Skymet, told media persons.
With clouds covering the sky and high humidity at 89 per cent, the minimum temperature on Thursday in Delhi was recorded at 15 degrees Celsius, 6 notches above the season’s average. However, Friday onwards, the rain is likely to stop and the minimum temperature is expected to drop several notches and hover around 7 degrees Celsius which will keep the city cold.
“Minimum temperatures are likely to fall by 4-6 degrees Celsius over northwest India from February 8. A fresh western disturbance is likely to affect the whole of northwest India from February 10 onwards,” an India Meteorological Department (IMD) bulletin said.
Watch photos of people experience snowfall like hailstorm in Delhi-NCR:
The minimum on Friday is expected to hover around 10 degrees Celsius, while the maximum is expected to remain at 19 degrees, with moderate to shallow fog in the morning.
Rains accompanied by hailstorm and strong winds also brought down the pollution levels in Delhi. The Air Quality Index (AQI) of Delhi at 4 p.m on Thursday stood at 176 or “moderate”, though authorities do not expect these “moderate” air quality days to last long as wind speed is expected to slow down. Fog conditions will prevail.
“Under the influence of western disturbances, scattered rain and high wind speed have significantly improved the air quality. The southwesterly winds from the Arabian sea will bring more moisture and foggy conditions may occur for the next few days,” System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) said in its daily forecast.
In the National Capital Region, Ghaziabad at 188, Gurugram at 133 and Noida at 159 also fared in the “moderate” category. Greater Noida, however, recorded “poor” air quality on Thursday with AQI at 202.
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.