Feature
Rajnath dissociates government, BJP from Mufti’s remark
New Delhi: Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday dissociated the government and the BJP from the remarks of Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed who gave credit to militants and Pakistan for the smooth conduct of assembly elections in the state.
The Congress and some other opposition parties staged a walkout from the Lok Sabha demanding a resolution on the issue.
Raising the matter in the Lok Sabha after the question hour, Congress member K.C. Venugopal condemned Sayeed’s remarks. The opposition members also demanded a statement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Venugopal said Sayeed had remarked that he had apprised Modi of his views. Modi Sunday attended the oath-taking of People’s Democratic Party-Bharatiya Janata Party government in Jammu.
The Congresss member said that credit for smooth conduct of assembly elections should go to the people of state, security forces and the people of the state.
“We expect a clarification from prime minister,” he said.
Rajnath Singh said: “The government and the party fully dissociates themselves from the remarks.”
The minister, who was repeatedly interrupted by opposition members, said that he had come to the house after talking to prime minister.
“What I am saying, I am saying with deliberation and with consent of prime minister,” Rajnath Singh said.
He said the assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir had been held in a conducive atmosphere. “I want to give credit for this to the election commission, armed forces and paramilitary forces,” he said.
The minister said there had been no secret talk between the prime minister and chief minister and no contentious issue was discussed.
Sayeed had stoked a controversy on Sunday, saying that people from across the border had contributed to making the atmosphere conducive for elections. He also gave credit to the Hurriyat and militants, saying that if they had done something, it would not have been a smooth election with large participation of people.
Sayeed also pitched for taking Hurriyat Conference and separatists on board in talks on the Kashmir problem.
Congress leader in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said that the government should bring a resolution to send a message to the new chief minister over his remarks.
“He (Sayeed) will know that the entire house is against his remarks. It (smooth elections) happened because of people of the state, the government servants, but they are saying it happened due to Pakistan. The prime minister should come and condemn the remarks. What has the chief minister told the prime minister,” Kharge said.
Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav also sought a statement from prime minister but Rajnath Singh said there was no question of such a statement.
Opposition members including those belonging to the Congress, Left parties and Trinamool Congress then staged a walk out.
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.