Feature
AAP government warns of stir on Delhi statehood issue
New Delhi: Stressing on its demand for a referendum on full statehood to Delhi, the AAP government on Monday warned it would not shy away from launching an agitation on the issue.
“It is a political issue. And if need be, we will launch an agitation. The AAP government will not sit quietly. No one can stop Delhi from getting statehood,” Delhi Law Minister Kapil Mishra said.
In a cabinet meeting last week, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said the priority of the Delhi’s urban development department should be on statehood. He had asked for a referendum on the statehood to Delhi.
“People (in states) have rights over their land and police and the citizens of Delhi should also have these rights. Give to us what you are giving to other,” Mishra added.
“AAP has the political will. It is high time the people in Delhi got the statehood. We will not tolerate a stepmotherly treatment towards the people in Delhi,” the AAP minister said.
“The BJP and the Congress promised full statehood to Delhi. They forgot their promises, but the AAP did not,” he said.
“There will be no legal complications. Only the BJP and the Congress will backtrack from their promises they made (to the people),” Mishra said.
Constitutionally, Delhi is a quasi-state with the Lieutenant Governor as the state head. The LG also has control over law and order and land in the National Capital Territory (NCT).
In the past too, there have been demands from the Aam Aadmi Party for statehood for Delhi but the Bharatiya Janata Party government at the centre has remained unmoved.
“What is the harm in taking opinion from the public. Those who are afraid of taking people’s opinion are themselves ousted by the people,” the minister remarked.
“Proposals stop when there is a lack of political will. L.K. Advani brought a bill in parliament (on the matter in 2003) but he could not get it passed even though his government was then in power at the centre,” he pointed out.
Congress leader Ajay Maken on Monday termed as “unconstitutional and a dangerous ploy with grave fallout” Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s idea of conducting referendum on statehood for Delhi.
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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