Feature
Where are ‘achhe din’, Rahul mocks Modi government
Bhubaneswar: On a day Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused the Congress of creating roadblocks in governance, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday took a jibe at the government for its “anti-farmer policies”, asking “where are the ‘achhe din’ for farmers.”
“Farmers and labourers had reposed faith in Modi-ji, who assured of ushering in ‘achhe din’ (good days). But after becoming the prime minister, he forgot them in just two days. Where are the ‘achhe din’ for farmers?” Gandhi said while addressing a farmers’ rally in Bargarh district of Odisha.
“The country is not of the corporate houses and a handful of people. It belongs to you. I promise that I and my party will fight for the cause of farmers and downtrodden,” the Congress vice president said.
He said the Modi government had tried to snatch land from poor farmers.
“Land is important for the farmers. Hence, we brought the land acquisition bill with the provision that land be acquired after proper consent of farmers along with adequate compensation. But the Modi government is trying to grab the land of farmers for corporate houses without the consent and knowledge of peasants,” Rahul said.
The Congress leader said that even though people had elected 44 Congress MPs in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, all harboured sympathy for the farmers and would fight to protect their interests.
Taking a dig at the NDA government for trying to dilute the Land Acquisition Act of 2013, the Congress vice president said it repeatedly tried to change the law but remained unsuccessful due to public pressure.
When he asked his audience if they had received any money as promised during the 2014 election campaign – money stashed abroad would be brought back to the country and Rs.15 lakh deposited in each bank account – the gathering responded with a big no.
He also flayed Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for “compromising” with Modi on various issues.
“Modi-ji and Naveen-ji have become friends and entered into a compromise. There are several issues like chit fund, irrigation, bonus and minimum support price for paddy, but neither the chief minister nor the prime minister speak about these. They maintain a stoic silence,” Rahul said.
The Congress leader said that even though Odisha had received maximum funds, the money did not reach the poor but was pocketed by influential persons, including ministers and capitalists.
“They have looted your forests and mines. We will fight for your cause,” he said.
Earlier on Thursday, Rahul Gandhi visited the house of farmer Anand Kathara, who allegedly committed suicide in June, at Deybahal village in Bargarh district of the state.
Rahul Gandhi also led ‘padyatras’ at several places in Atabira block.
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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