Feature
Reject family rule, let BJP govern Kashmir, says Modi
Srinagar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Monday urged voters to elect a BJP government in Jammu and Kashmir and to end “family rule” and endemic corruption in the country’s only Muslim-majority state.
Addressing two rallies ahead of the third round of assembly elections, Modi also said that the massive turnout in the first two phases of polling had proved that Jammu and Kashmir had rejected violence.
With the Bharatiya Janata Party determined to play a key role for the first time in any Kashmir election, Modi harped on voter disgust with all the major political players in the troubled state.
At his second rally in the heart of Srinagar, Modi said: “You have seen governments by the Congress, by father and son (National Conference) and by father and daughter (PDP). Get rid of this family rule and corruption.
Give us an opportunity to end corruption in Kashmir.”
Modi’s remarks at the 8,000-strong rally appeared to kill the chances of a possible post-election tie-up by the BJP with any of the major Kashmiri parties.
Wearing a ‘pheran’, the traditional Kashmiri garment, Modi said he had come to Kashmir to share the grief of the people who have been hit hard by years and years of militancy.
“I came here in July, in August, in September, in October, in November and now in December.
“I came in 2014 and will come in 2015 to fulfill the dream of insaaniyat, jamhooriat and Kashmiriyat as seen by Atal Bihari Vajpayeeji,” he added in his tribute to the now ailing former prime minister.
“Army soldiers and state policemen have laid down their lives fighting terrorism in Kashmir. But people here too have died and suffered. I have come to share that grief with you today,” Modi told the rally held amid security provided by thousands of police and paramilitary forces.
Modi said Jammu and Kashmir needed economic development and prosperity. “This is a right nobody can deny you.”
The world’s fastest growing industry, he said, was tourism. “And India does not have a place better than Kashmir to show to the world.”
Earlier, addressing about 50,000 people in Samba in Jammu region, Modi said the people of the state had rejected violence by turning out in large numbers in the first two rounds of the ongoing assembly polls.
Compared to the number of fingers which have operated AK-47 rifles in Kashmir, more people had pressed the electronic voting machines in the two rounds of assembly elections, he said.
“I salute the people of Jammu and Kashmir a thousand times for their unflinching faith in democracy,” Modi said, a day before 16 constituencies vote in the Kashmir Valley.
Modi blamed poor governance and nepotism by the Congress, the National Conference and the Peoples Democratic Party for the problems of the state.
“Did all of them do anything for you in the past? Would they do it in the future? You have tried them and they have failed you,” he thundered.
The prime minister promised a better life for the 12 lakh Hindus who moved into Jammu and Kashmir from Pakistan after the 1947 partition.
“I promise that we will rehabilitate these refugees, and rehabilitation is their right which they will get,” he said.
Monday’s rallies took place three days after 21 people, including eight soldiers and three policemen, were killed in a string of terror attacks in Kashmir.
In Srinagar, Modi blamed the state government for doing little during the devastating floods this year.
He also claimed credit for the punishment meted out to nine soldiers accused of killing two youths in Budgam district. They face court martial.
“I appeal to you to give a decisive mandate for a BJP government in Jammu and Kashmir,” said Modi.
The five-phase assembly elections that began Nov 25 end Dec 20. The vote count is due Dec 23.
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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