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We are committed to providing stability, says Arunachal CM Kalikho Pul

Published

9 years ago

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Itanagar: Congress leader Kalikho Pul, who has taken oath as new Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh late on Friday, stated that, “We are committed to providing stability.”

The step comes after the Supreme Court on Thursday cleared the decks for the revocation of president’s rule in the state as it vacated its order of maintaining status quo passed on Wednesday.

The central government had on Wednesday recommended that president’s rule be lifted from the state. The decision was, however, held back in the wake of the apex court’s status quo order.

“We are committed to providing stability and working for the overall development of Arunachal Pradesh with utmost sincerity,” Pul told.

Governor J.P. Rajkhowa administered the oath of office and secrecy to the 47-year-old Pul at a ceremony at the Raj Bhavan, marking the historic coalition government involving the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The BJP, which has 11 members in the 60-member House Arunachal assembly, is extending outside support to Pul. Two Independent legislators are also supporting the 19 rebel Congress legislators.

But sources close to the rebel Congress camp claimed that nine Tuki’s loyalists are also set to shift their allegiance to Pul.

While former chief minister Mukut Mithi, also a Rajya Sabha member from Arunachal, was present in the ceremony, Nabam Tuki and his loyalists skipped the event.

However, Congress general secretary in-charge V. Narayanasamy described the formation of the new government as “highly illegal” and “unconstitutional” since Pul had not been elected as leader of the Congress Legislature Party.

“This political development in Arunachal Pradesh has proven that the BJP government was involved in destabilising the Congress government which has the mandate of the people,” the veteran Congress leader told IANS.

“The Congress cannot take the support of the BJP in forming a government. We don’t subscribe to the BJP’s ideology and therefore, the new government cannot be a Congress government,” he said.

However, Pasang Dorjee Sona, one of the 19 rebel Congress legislators, held Narayanasamy responsible for the political mess in the state.

“It was Congress leader Narayanasamy, in-charge of party affairs in the state, who is responsible for the political mess in the state. He never allowed us to meet and share our grievances with Congress president and vice-president,” Pasang told.

“We have to work with the BJP in the interest of the people of the state and governance has nothing to do with political ideology. Good governance and the development of the state come first,” Pasang said.

Arunachal Pradesh BJP President Tai Tagak told, “We have been playing a constructive role in the opposition and our duty is to protect the interest of the people and development of the state.

“We are extending outside support to the rebel Congress since we wanted a popular government to be in place and to serve our people and to ensure development.”

The BJP leader also blamed the Congress leaders in New Delhi for the political mess that forced the central government to enforced the president’s rule in the state.

“It is their own legislators who have revolted against Tuki for his financial mismanagement and corruption. They (congress leaders) should have resolved their internal problem but when the situation goes out of their hand how can they blamed the BJP for it,” Tagak said.

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Meghalaya Reserves Legalized Gambling and Sports Betting for Tourists

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2 years ago

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June 25, 2022

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PureWin Online Betting

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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