Feature
India, US partnership to shape 21st century: Envoys
Washington: Close collaboration between India and US in the years ahead can shape the 21st century with a big impact upon global peace and prosperity, according to the two countries’ envoys in each other’s capitals.
“As US-India ties continue to blossom, the true test of our defining partnership for the 21st century will be how it benefits not just our common citizens but also the global commons,” wrote Indian ambassador Arun Singh and US ambassador Richard Verma in a rare joint article published here Monday.
“The fact is, we are stronger when we work together, and our close collaboration in the years ahead can have a big impact upon global peace and prosperity,” they said in an op-ed in the Huffington Post titled “India And The US Partnering To Shape The 21st Century.”
The article marking the 10-year anniversary of the landmark US-India civil nuclear deal noted how the initiative had transformed the two countries’ bilateral relationship into a strategic partnership built on mutual trust and natural affinity.
“The historic visits of Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi to the United States and President Barack Obama to India helped our relationship soar, moving us past old disagreements and paving the way forward for even more ambitious new collaborations,” Singh and Verma noted.
Since Obama’s January visit to India, the two nations “are now working on new initiatives from the outer reaches of space to the depths of the oceans,” they said.
“Our leaders’ vision of a rules-based international order where disputes between states are settled peacefully, trade flows more freely and clean energy reduces the threat of climate change offers the best promise of a more peaceful, prosperous and sustainable century than the past one.”
“Given our shared democratic values, multicultural traditions, robust people-to-people ties and convergent economic and security interests, we are natural partners, and indeed on a course to be best partners,” the two envoys wrote.
“In a world filled with complex security and economic challenges, this relationship matters more now than ever before,” Singh and Verma wrote.
“That’s why our leaders have aggressively set out to increase our defence cooperation, create greater economic opportunities for our people and work more closely on climate change,” they wrote.
“Our national interests are converging on the vital issues of the day.”
While US infrastructure and technology firms are ready to bring their expertise to Modi’s ambitious plan to build 100 smart cities by 2020, the envoys noted, Indian firms and investors are increasingly present in the US to help power America’s growth and to create jobs.
“Beyond the strategic and economic ties, our people continue to bring us closer together,” they wrote.
The Indian diaspora has not only made enormous contributions to every facet of American society, Singh and Verma noted, they are increasingly giving back to their ancestral home, as well.
“In India, Americans and Indians are working closely together to spur advances in medicine, science and technology, helping to power India’s growth and improving the lives of ordinary Indian citizens.”
India and the United States are also increasingly cooperating to meet development challenges in India and around the world, the two envoys noted.
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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