Feature
PM Modi launches gas cracker project in Assam today
Lepetkata (Assam): In a development for the Assam by the central government today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Rs.10, 000 crore gas cracker project at Lepetkata in Upper Assam’s Dibrugarh district.
While inaugurating the project, Modi targeted the previous United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government for its inordinate delay.
“I was, in fact, not supposed to get the opportunity to inaugurate the project. Had this project been completed and inaugurated 25 years back, Assam would have seen lot of industrial development and employment opportunities for the youth. However, sometimes, I feel I am destined to (do) good works,” Modi said while inaugurating the project.
The prime minister, who arrived in Assam on Friday, headed straight to Dibrugarh for the inauguration of the Assam Gas Cracker Project and a wax producing unit at the Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) in Golaghat district.
“Today, two major projects will be dedicated to the nation in Assam’s Dibrugarh district. These two projects are not only important for Assam but also for the entire country. These two projects not only will provide employment opportunities but also push the overall growth of the country,” the prime minister said.
The gas cracker project was envisaged by the then prime minister Indira Gandhi in 1984 and given shape by Rajiv Gandhi as prime minister in 1985 at the end of the six-year- long anti-foreigners agitation. The then prime minister Manmohan Singh laid the foundation stone of the project in 2007.
The petrochemical project will use naphtha and natural gas from the state’s oilfields to produce ethylene for manufacturing polymers. Executed by the Brahmaputra Crackers and Polymers Ltd., the project missed several deadlines and overshot the budget.
“My government is determined for the country’s development. We have decided to complete thousands of projects which got delayed, irrespective of who laid their foundation stones. The gas cracker project in Assam is one of them,” he said.
The prime minister reiterated National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government’s commitment to the development of north-east India and said the region’s development had been prioritised.
“We have given huge railway budget to the north-eastern states as rail connectivity will fast-track the region’s development. Our government has announced schemes like MUDRA Bank and Start-Up India. I appeal to the region’s youth to come forward and take advantage of these schemes and contribute towards the country’s growth,” he said.
“Our government has also launched a skill development mission, not only to create jobs but also enhance employability of the youth,” he said.
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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