Feature
After NaMo’s ‘Maan Ki Baat’ now RaGa will hear people’s ‘Voice of People’
Ranchi: Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday reminded people that neither Prime Minister Narendra Modi nor any other political leaders were their”maalik” (masters) rather they are the lords in democracy, asking them to tell his party’s government what to do and it will be done.
He described mahagathbandhan of opposition parties as “voice of the people” and said he has not come to speak their maan ki baat but to listen to them.
The “maan ki baat” was a monthly radio programme of prime minister Narendra Modi as part of which he used to share his thoughts on different subjects with the countrymen.
The Congress chief was addressing an election rally in Simdega, which is a part of Khunti Lok Sabha constituency where voting will take place on May 6.
Speaking about NYAY scheme, Congress key electoral agenda, Gandhi said if voted to power, Rs 72,000 would be deposited in bank accounts of 5 crore people of the country within one year under it.
The amount will be given under the NYAY scheme till a family earns Rs 12,000 per month on its own, he said. “This alliance (Mahagathbandhan) is the voice of people.
I have not come to speak our maan ki baat but to listen to your maan ki baat and whatever you will tell us we will do it, Gandhi said.
Don’t forget that you are maalik (master). Narendra Modi or any political leader are not your maalik. You just tell us what to do and we will do, Gandhi said.
The Congress chief made a blistering attack on Modi blaming him for working only for 15-20 people.
Narendra Modi ji has not fulfilled his promises of providing two crore jobs. He did not deposit Rs 15 lakh in bank accounts of the people, Gandhi said.
Appealing to the people to vote for Congress and Mahagathbandhan candidate Kalicharan Munda from Khunti, Gandhi further attacked Modi for not waiving farm loans while (the MSP) Rs 2500 is being given for rice in Chhattisgarh ruled by the Congress.
Narendra Modi speaks ‘Maan Ki Baat’ but RaGa will listen people’s ‘Maan Ki Baat’:
Munda is facing BJPs Arjun Munda from Khunti LS seat. Munda, who is a former chief minister, had earlier won Jamshedpur Lok Sabha seat in a previous election.
The Congress chief said the poor were hit by the GST and asserted that the Congress was committed to save tribal land.
Unveiling his party’s future plans for Jharkhand, which was carved out of Bihar in 2000, he said free treatment in hospitals would be introduced and universities and technical institutions will be set up in districts if voted to power.
Alleging that the Narendra Modi government had put Rs 5.55 lakh crore in the pockets of 15/20 industrialists, Gandhi said that if the Congress alliance came to power such things would not happen, rather the money would be taken out from the pockets of these people and would be used for the welfare of the poor.
Stating the alliance government will protect jal, jungle, jameen (water, forest and land), he said it was the Congress which returned land if industry was not set up on the allotted land.
He also cited an example how land was taken away from a private company and returned to tribals. Gandhi claimed that GST and demonetisation had hit hard on trade.
This was Congress chief’s first visit to Jharkhand after the election notification was issued on March 10. He had visited Ranchi on March 2.
Former chief minister Babulal Marandi and JMMs working president and ex-CM Hemant Soren also addressed the rally.
The Mahagathbandhan in Jharkhand comprises the Congress, JMM, Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik-JVM) of Marandi and the RJD.
The Congress is contesting seven Lok Sabha seats, JMM has fielded candidates at four places while JVM is fighting on two seats and the RJD has been given one seat as per seat-sharing arrangement of the alliance.
While the first phase for Lohardaga (ST), Chatra and Palamu (SC) concluded on April 29, the second phase (ECs fifth phase) for Koderma, Khunti, Ranchi and Hazaribagh is scheduled on May 6.
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.