Feature
End dynastic rule in Kashmir: Modi
Kishtwar (Jammu and Kashmir): Prime Minister Narendra Modi Saturday exhorted people in this Jammu and Kashmir town to unshackle themselves from the yoke of dynastic rule and promised to make the state the “ultimate tourist destination in the world”.
Modi said that Jammu and Kashmir had been held hostage by two families for over 50 years — without naming either the Congress or the National Conference
.
“One family rules and robs the sate for five years and then after it becomes unpopular, it gives the power to rob the state to the other family. They have done a political match fixing between themselves.
“I appeal to you to unshackle yourselves from the yoke of this dynastic rule,” said Modi while addressing a well-attended Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) poll rally here.
He asked people to vote for the BJP in large numbers so that the next government in the state is formed by the BJP on its own strength.
The state will see a staggered five-phase elections that begins Nov 25 and ends Dec 20.The votes will be counted Dec 23.
Modi spoke of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s vision for the state, asserting he would use all his power to realize that dream.
“I have a vision for Jammu and Kashmir and that vision is based on Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s vision of Insaniyat, Jumhooriyat and Kashmiriyat.
“There were times when Kutch district in Gujarat was the most backward area of the country…I learnt a great thing by visiting Kutch. I had then recently taken over as the chief minister of Gujarat. I met people there who told me they were fed up of repeated speeches by politicians about the looming threat from across the border.”
He added that “people there wanted me to speak to them about development and progress in their lives. I learnt there that power of this vision in Kutch. Today Kutch is the fastest developing district of the country”.
“It produces more electric power than the entire state of J&K. If Kutch can prosper, so can Kashmir. I have come to seek your cooperation to realize that dream for Kashmir.”
The prime minister said that development is his mantra for the entire country.
Noting that the fastest growing industry in the world today is tourism industry, he said: “I have to bring back Bollywood to Kashmir. I have to bring back tourism to the state and I have to make J&K the ultimate tourist destination in the world.”
He spoke of the rehabilitation of refugees who came here from Pakistan after 1947 and are living in Jammu.
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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