Feature
Diwali 2020: UP govt to launch website for virtual Deepotsav in Ayodhya
The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh will launch a website this Diwali for a virtual ‘Deepotsav’, enabling people to participate in the event by lighting a virtual ‘diya’.
“The virtual ‘Deepotsav’ will be no less real than the actual one and thus, this platform will enable a real experience. The portal will comprise a portrait of Lord Ram before which the virtual lamps will be lit. The portal will have a facility to pick up the lamp-stand of one’s choice — steel, brass or any other material,” a UP government statement said.
“An option of using ghee or oil will also be available for the devotees. Not only this, the hands of the person lighting up the lamp on the website would be based on whether the devotee is a man or a woman. After the lamps are lit, based on the details of the devotees, a “thank-you” digital letter carrying Lord Ram’s picture from the UP Chief Minister will also be issued. The web portal will be uploaded before the main event on November 13 available for the common people,” the statement added.
While the Deepotsav in Ayodhya will be held for the fourth time since it began in 2017, this is the first time it will be virtually held on November 13, a day before Diwali.
The statement said Yogi Adityanath has issued instructions to make the Ayodhya Deepotsav grander this time but also cautioned that there should be no breach of Covid-19 protocol.
The Chief Minister said,”During the Deepotsav along with ‘Ram Ki Paidi’, all mutts, temples and homes will also light lamps so that the whole temple town of Ayodhya is lit up brightly.”
The government aims at lighting up more than 5.5 lakh lamps this time to set a new Guinness World record by breaking its last year’s record of 4.1 lakh lamps.
The statement said the portal will also allow a virtual selfie with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
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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