Feature
Cong disrupts Rajya Sabha again, demands Jaitley’s resignation
New Delhi: Proceedings of the Rajya Sabha have been disrupted again today after the main opposition Congress party sought the resignation of Finance Minister Arun Jaitley over corruption in the DDCA.
The disruptions came despite an understanding reached on Friday at an all-party meeting on the passage of several pending bills.
Soon after Rajya Sabha members agreed on the urgency of the juvenile justice bill, leader of opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad raised the DDCA issue and mentioned Jaitley’s alleged involvement.
Deputy Chairman P.J. Kurien, however, expunged his remarks from record.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, who is also leader of the house and facing heat in the Delhi and District Cricket Association case, said he was ready to respond to any charges, and asked the opposition for a discussion.
He said he had already taken legal recourse on the charges made against him outside parliament.
“I have absolutely no difficulty… some people make allegation outside (parliament). I have taken legal recourse… please waive off all rules and ask the leader of opposition to start discussion on any specific things against me; I will answer it right now,” Jaitley said.
“I am not going to live by these vague statements. Let him make any specific charge, I will answer it right now,” the finance minister said.
The Congress members however began raising slogans, prompting Jaitley to question: “Do I assume they have nothing to say?”
The house was then adjourned for 15 minutes.
When the house met again, Parliamentary Affairs Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu said a supplementary list of business will be brought to discuss the juvenile justice bill.
As the deputy chairman prepared to take up the zero hour mentions, Congress members began raising slogans again.
The Congress members raised slogans, demanding Jaitley’s resignation, displayed placards and trooped near the chairman’s podium.
“Even when the finance minister says he is ready for discussion, shouting of slogans is unjustifiable and unacceptable. This is most unfortunate,” Kurien said before adjourning the house till 12 noon.
Chairman Hamid Ansari later adjourned the house till 12.30 p.m.
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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