Feature
No dent in Modi’s image, says Rajnath Singh
Patna: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s image has not dented, at least not in Bihar, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said on Monday, and added that the BJP is confident of forming the next government in the state.
Modi enjoys the same appeal as he did when he led the Bharatiya Janata Party to an emphatic victory in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Bihar included, the minister said in an interview here.
“I am campaigning in the whole of Bihar. I see no dent in the prime minister’s image. The people of Bihar still have confidence in him,” Singh told.
Rajnath Singh also said that it was due to the BJP’s “generosity” that Janata Dal-United (JD-U) leader Nitish Kumar became the chief minister at the head of a BJP-JD-U government in 2005 although the BJP had won more seats than the JD-U in assembly elections.
The BJP accepted the leadership of Nitish Kumar only because it wanted Bihar to develop economically.
“The BJP sacrificed power for stability in Bihar by appointing Nitish Kumar as chief minister in 2005 despite winning more seats as compared to JD-U,” Singh said.
“Janata hamari is dariyadili ko janati hai (People know of this magnanimity on our part),” he added.
But the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister alleged that Nitish Kumar became arrogant after taking office.
Rajnath Singh, a former BJP president who played a key role in declaring Narendra Modi the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, said: “Since Modi started campaigning in Bihar, the scenario has changed. We are strong contenders for forming the government in the state.”
He criticised the JD-U and RJD leader Lalu Prasad for harping on caste issues.
“Election is a festival of democracy. The prime issue must be development related. But ‘Mahagatbandhan’ (Grand Alliance) is raising issues of beef and caste. These are tactics aimed at diverting from real issues.”
“It is clear they have no major issue to get people’s support,” he added.
The former BJP president said people no more voted on caste lines. Now they needed governments that can provide good governance.
“BJP-ruled Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat are prime examples of this. While voting, people see performance of state governments. They even judge the performance of the central government.”
“No corruption issue has surfaced in the central government. Globally, our government is scaling new heights with every foreign visit of the prime minister. People are also judging these issues.”
Asked about the BJP’s chief ministerial candidate in Bihar, Rajnath Singh said: “We decided not to project any leader as chief ministerial candidate.”
“This does not mean we have dearth of leaders in the state. There are lots of capable leaders. When the time comes, our parliamentary board will take the right decision.”
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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