Feature
India to import 10,000 tonnes onions to check prices
New Delhi: With onion prices hitting Rs.70-80 per kg in most parts of the country, the central government has floated tenders for the import of 10,000 tonnes of onions, it was announced on Saturday.
“Government of India has been keeping a close watch on the rise in prices of onions. A decision has been taken by the government to import onions and a tender has also been floated for 10,000 MT of onions which will be opened on August 27,” a government spokesman said here.
Onion prices have been on the rise across the country in the past one month. At many places, onion prices crossed the Rs.70 per kg mark on Thursday with most people complaining that the government was not doing enough to contain price rise.
The Nashik-based National Horticultural Research and Development Foundation (NHRDF), in its latest report, said that the onion prices are likely to remain on the higher side till September-end.
Wholesale dealers have indicated that if the present trend continues, onions could soon hit the Rs.100 per kg mark.
The government also announced on Saturday that Minimum Export Price (MEP) of onions would now be raised to $700 per metric tonne (MT) to ensure that onions are not exported and are made available in the domestic market.
The MEP was last increased from $250 per MT to $425 per MT on June 26, the spokesman said.
Noting that onion prices were being reviewed regularly, he said that the secretary, consumer affairs department will hold a meeting with various government departments and agencies on Monday to review the action taken to keep the prices in check.
“To intervene in the market, Small Farmers Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC) and NAFED have procured 5,857 MT of onion. This has been funded out of Price Stabilisation Fund meant to keep prices of essential commodities under control,” the spokesman said.
“SFAC is supplying onions at Rs.30.50 per kg to SAFAL, which is retailing at Rs.39 per kg in Delhi. SFAC is also selling onions to consumers at Rs.35 per kg through 120 milk booths of DMS (Delhi Milk Supply). A decision was also taken by Government of Delhi to sell onions at subsidized rate of Rs.40 per kg through 280 Fair Price Shops, which was further reduced to Rs.30 per kg from August 12,” he said.
The spokesman said that price of onions has been “rising on account of a decline in total production from 189.23 lakh tonnes in 2014-15 as against 194.02 lakh tonnes in 2013-14 i.e. a decrease of 4.79 lakh tonnes”.
“The shortfall has primarily been on account of adverse weather conditions including unseasonal rains which has impacted both the standing and harvested crop at the major producing centres,” he added.
The central government has directed that action be taken against those hoarding and black-marketing of onions.
The NHRDF pointed out that out of the storage stock of 40 lakh tonnes in July this year, 50 percent has been consumed and only about 16-18 lakh tonnes is left.
With the festival season round the corner in Maharashtra, which produces the maximum onions but has been hit by an ongoing dry spell in most parts of state, onion prices could breach the Rs.100 per kg mark in urban centres like Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur in the next couple of weeks.
Onion prices in other states and cities too are in the Rs.70-80 per kg bracket in retail, upsetting the budget of most homes and establishments.
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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