Feature
Saudi King assisting stranded Indian workers,says Sushma
New Delhi:External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Thursday said the King of Saudi Arabia has given instructions to help the thousands of Indian workers stuck in the Gulf kingdom, including giving them free passage back home.
The Saudi King has instructed his officials to resolve the crisis faced by Indians, the minister said in identical suo moto statements on the Saudi situation in both houses of parliament.
“The Saudi King has instructed his officials to solve the problem in two days. General V.K. Singh is there. He met the Labour Minister there yesterday (Wednesday), he said instructions have been given to give the Indian workers exit visa; they will send them back in their own flights, at their own expense,” Sushma Swaraj said.
“They have also permitted that those who are found suitable may be given another job,” she said.
Sushma Swaraj said V.K. Singh has interacted with important Saudi authorities, including Saudi Minister of Labour and Social Development Mufrej Al Haqbani.
Regarding the dues of workers, the minister said: “Every worker will file their claim with the labour office, and the claims will be settled even after they come back.”
She also said the Saudi administration was arranging for providing food and other assistance to the camps where Indians were lodged.
“Besides, they offered to arrange for medical care, food, and sanitation in the camps where Indians are,” she said.
The minister thanked the Saudi King for the assistance.
She said: “I want to thank Saudi rulers on behalf of India and the house. I also thank the Prime Minister. This is happening because of the relations he made during his visit to Saudi Arabia.”
Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad also welcomed the move.
“This is a very good thing. we must thank them on behalf of people of India,” he said.
Some 7,700 Indian workers employed with a company in Saudi Arabia are facing a financial crisis after it shut down and laid off workers. Minister of State for External Affairs V.K. Singh is in Riyadh to sort out the problem, including arranging to bring back those workers who want to return.
In the Lok Sabha, just as some Congress members including Jyotiraditya Scindia and K.C. Venugopal wanted to speak on the issue, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan asked, “Do you want to compliment the minister? Sometime you must appreciate the good work.”
Scindia said: “I want to compliment External Affairs Minister that she came up with her statements on the issue without members raising these. On similar line, I hope other NDA ministers will also emulate External Affairs Minister and come well prepared in the house.”
“I also feel like the manner External Affairs Minister spoke about bilateral relations between India and Saudi Arabia, she will speak on countries like Pakistan and China too,” Scindia added.
While Saudi Arabia has over three million expatriate Indians, there are over 800,000 of them in Kuwait. Most of them are blue collared workers.
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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