Feature
Need to teach lessons to the rogue: Parrikar on Pakistan
New Delhi: Even as India will try to use diplomatic steps to avoid a confrontation with Pakistan, one needs to teach lessons to “those who are rogue”, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said Friday.
Asked at the Aaj Tak-2014 conclave about the disturbances created by Pakistan along the border, he said India was not closing any options for “harsh measures”.
“We are always prepared with counter measures. Eye for eye or ‘eent ka jawab pathhar se’ (befitting reply) appears to be an offensive statement. But ultimately, you have to teach a lesson to those who are rouge.
“How do we do it is a part of strategy, and I won’t reveal it here. But I am definitely not closing any … harsh measures,” Parrikar said.
He, however, added that this was not the only option and India would also try diplomatic measures like exerting political and diplomatic pressure.
“I know some people will say these have failed, have not yielded results, with a state like Pakistan where there is hardly any control by the political leadership.
“These might have some meaning but I think there are some effective measures that can be preventive.
“There cannot be always defensive measures. We can have preventive measures. We need not wait for someone to attack,” the minister said.
Parrikar said the response from India had been strong and terrorists have been neutralised.
“This year the number of neutralised terrorists is 102 compared to 66 last year. You can understand the level of engagements.”
He was asked about the risks of a nuclear conflict between India and Pakistan.
“Nuclear doctrine (advocates) restraint. I don’t think any state can resort to it. A full-scale war can be linked to the nuclear aspect of it, but if there are places where you get terrorists across, there are people who do it. Those people will have to be pressurised,” he said.
“I am not talking about going across the border. Why not use the same people who attack us, as we say ‘gun ka barrel ghuma do’ (turn the barrel of the gun around),” he said.
The minister added that increasing the morale of the security forces and providing them better equipment was a priority.
“The soldiers who neutralise terrorists at a height of 14,000 feet… Equip them properly. If we can give good boots to soldiers in Siachen, why not to these soldiers?
“When they go on vacation after two years, are you aware there is not enough space to get them back in the aircraft available?
“When you expect them to fight (at the border), their battle at home should be taken care of by the ministry,” 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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