Feature
‘Alcohol ban in Mizoram to save future generations’
Come Monday and alcohol will not be available in Mizoram. State Excise and Narcotics Minister K. Beichhua said the MNF government had taken the step to save future generations from the menace of alcohol and drugs, and establish a clean Mizo society.
Fulfilling its pre-poll promise, the Mizo National Front (MNF) government last week unanimously passed the Mizoram Liquor (Prohibition) Bill, 2019 to again ban the sale and consumption of alcohol in the northeastern state after four years. The ban comes into force from April 1.
Beichhua said the state government stands to lose Rs 70 crore annually in revenues following the decision. “But the loss of revenue is much less than the loss of human life and suffering. Larger societal benefit is more vital,” Beichhua told IANS in a telephonic interview.
The Minister said that the MNF government had decided to ban production, import, sale and consumption of liquor for the common people, except defence personnel and those with medical needs.
“Separate licences will be issued to defence personnel who can consume liquor. People under treatment would be allowed to drink only if it is prescribed by a doctor, Beichhua said.
The state government is yet to decide on whether or not to allow domestic and foreign tourists to drink.
Vendors say that the liquor ban has resulted in piling stocks as purchases had been made till the end of the current fiscal (2018-19) and a loss of Rs 4 lakh per day.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission has asked the Mizoram government not to notify the Liquor Prohibition Act till the Lok Sabha elections are officially over on May 27.
Mizoram Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Ashish Kundra said the Commission’s request had been communicated to the state Excise and Narcotics Department.
Beichhua said the state government has sought some clarification from the Election Commisssion in the matter and will take a final call after getting its reply.
Mizoram was a dry state for about 18 years, until the Congress government in 2015 lifted the ban on sale and consumption of alcohol. Liquor shops thus started thriving in the Christian-dominated state.
Beichhua claimed several hundred people, mostly young men, died of alcohol consumption and in road accidents after the ban was lifted. However, Chief Minister Zoramthanga at a public meeting in Aizawl recently claimed that about 6,000 people died post the policy change.
In fact, some political pundits blame Congress’ liberal liquor policy for its debacle in last year’s Assembly elections.
The party did not pay heed to the public and Church bodies’ call to ban liquor because of the rise in alcohol-related deaths,” political analyst and writer R.L. Sailo told IANS.
Instead, it justified revoking the ban stating that it generated revenue and prevented consumption of spurious liquor as well as smuggling of liquor from neighbouring Myanmar and other northeastern states.
Prohibition was one of the major poll promises of the MNF that won 26 seats, giving the Congress a humiliating defeat in the 40-member House.
With a population of 1,091,014 (according to 2011 census), Mizoram is a closely knit society with a Christian majority (87 per cent).
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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