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Kashmir on agenda as PM Modi meets Trump on G7 Summit
France: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who’s attending G-7 Summit after an invitation from French President Emmanuel Macron, will hold four bilateral meetings in Biarritz, where the summit is taking place. Apart from meeting French President, PM Modi will hold bilateral meetings with the United States President Donald Trump, the United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on a range of issues including trade, bilateral ties, and the abrogation of Article 370. The countries which are part of the G7 Summit include the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the US. India has been a special invitee to the event.
According to reports, US President Trump, during his meeting with PM Modi, will discuss wide-ranging issues of trade between India and the US, including defence cooperation, counter-terrorism and tariff. The meeting will be held in the wake of two recent statements made by Trump to mediate between India and Pakistan on the Kashmir issue. India, however, has maintained that it is a bilateral issue with no room for third party intervention, and that talks can’t be held if Pakistan keeps supporting terror groups.
Confirming the development, a US official said: “India’s decision to rescind Article 370 in Kashmir is internal, but certainly with regional implications. And President Trump will likely want to hear how Prime Minister Modi intends to calm regional tensions in light of this significant move,” said the official. He added that Trump would stress the need for dialogue among all sides of the conflict. “…And certainly, President Trump is also calling on Pakistan to prevent the infiltration of militants across the line of control that divides Kashmir and to crack down on groups on its territory that have attacked India in the past,” he added.
Earlier on Sunday, PM Modi met British PM Boris Johnson. The two leaders talked about enhancing bilateral ties through trade and economic relations. The UK had earlier raised the issue of the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir but said the issue should be dealt with bilaterally by India and Pakistan.
During his meeting with United Nations Secretary-General, PM Modi would talk about how India intends to reduce tensions in the Kashmir Valley. PM Modi is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with Chile and Senegal, who are also special invitees to the G-7 Summit. Besides, French President Emmanuel Macron will take part in a morning walk with PM Modi at Hotel Du Palace around 9:30 am on Monday.
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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