Feature
Congress slams Mamata for politically exploiting minorities
Kolkata: Charging the Mamata Banerjee government with politically exploiting minorities in West Bengal, the Congress on Wednesday called for uprooting the Trinamool Congress for the sake of secularism.
“Any amount of criticism of the Mamata Banerjee government is not sufficient. On one hand she poses as the messiah of the minorities, but on the other hand she doesn’t let go any opportunity to get closer with the BJP and Narendra Modi,” Congress general secretary Shakil Ahmad said.
“Time has come to uproot this government which has been treating you only as its vote-bank and exploiting you for its political gains,” Ahmad said at a minority conference organised by the party’s state unit here.
Ahmad along with a host of party leaders, including Rajya Sabha member Mani Shankar Aiyar and actor-turned-politician Raj Babbar, participated in the programme.
Speaking in a similar vein, Aiyar called upon the people to bring the Congress to power in the state.
“It has been almost 40 years since the Congress was removed from power in the state and you very well know what condition you are eliving in. First the communists exploited you and now Mamata Banerjee is doing the same. Strengthen the Congress because it is the only party with proven secular credentials.”
“In the name of honorarium to Imams, Mamata gave you alms but did nothing to empower you. Only 1.76 percent of the minorities in Bengal have a representation in government jobs which is reflective of how much you have regressed,” added Aiyar.
Babbar asked the people to use their votes sensibly.
“It is for you to decide whether you want to vote for the welfare of the community and the welfare of the country or whether you want to vote for those who have been exploiting you for years giving nothing in return,” exhorted Babbar.
Other leaders too slammed Banerjee and her Trinamool for having a “pact” with the BJP and called upon to strengthen the Congress for securing and preserving secularism.
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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