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CBI summons Harish Rawat for questioning in corruption
New Delhi:The CBI on Thursday summoned ousted Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat to Delhi for questioning on Monday in a corruption case after he was shown in a “sting” video offering bribes to buy legislative support for his government, officials said.
The summon comes after the CBI on April 29 began probing the videographed “sting operation” allegedly showing Rawat offering money to rebel Congress lawmakers to win their support during a floor test in the 70-member house.
The floor test never took place.
The sting video was shot by a Noida-based private TV channel, Samachar Plus, and released by the rebel Congress legislators who crossed over to the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The BJP had alleged that Rawat had tried to buy back the support of his own lawmakers who rebelled against him. Rawat has denied the allegation, saying he was being framed.
The union home ministry sent a CD of the video to the forensics laboratory in Chandigarh to examine its authenticity.
A source in the Central Bureau of Investigation said the forensic report “confirmed” that the CD was genuine and “undoctored”, after “which Harish Rawat was asked to appear on Monday for questioning”.
The source said CBI officials have also questioned property developer-turned-journalist Umesh Kumar, who claimed to have carried out the sting operation.
“Umesh accepted he conducted the sting operation,” the source told IANS.
A rebel Congress legislator has also been questioned.
The source said he told the CBI that Rawat called him to his office and offered him Rs.2.5 crore and an important post if he supported him.
Another minister in the Rawat government offered the same legislator Rs.10 crore for the support, the source said.
Uttarakhand is without an elected government after Rawat was dismissed following a rebellion in the ruling Congress. The central government imposed President’s Rule in the state on March 27.
Rawat has challenged the presidential proclamation and the matter is being heard by the Supreme Court.
The top court has suggested to the BJP-led central government to let Rawat prove his legislative majority on the floor of the house.
The central government on Wednesday sought two days to “seriously consider” the suggestion. The case comes for hearing on Friday.
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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