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India’s future incomplete without peaceful Kashmir: Rajnath
Srinagar : Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday made a passionate appeal for peace in the Kashmir Valley, saying India’s future was incomplete without a peaceful Kashmir and announced that an all-party delegation will visit the state soon for talks on ending a protracted violent unrest that has killed nearly 70 people since July 9.
At a press conference towards the end of his two-day Kashmir tour, Rajnath Singh conceded a popular demand, saying that an alternative to the use of pellet guns as a tool to control unruly mobs would be found “in a few days”.
During his stay in Srinagar, the Home Minister said he met some 300 people, including leaders of all political parties in the state, with whom he had “good talks”.
“Everybody wants peace to be restored. We are extremely sad over the situation. We are pained over the loss of lives,” the minister said with Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti by his side.
In an oblique reference to separatist leaders, the Home Minister said people should “not play with the future of Kashmiri youth”.
“They (youth) should hold books, pens and laptops in their hands and not stones,” he said. “We are linking the future of Kashmiri youth with the future of India. And I appeal to Kashmir people to identify those who are creating trouble.”
India’s future, he said, is intrinsically linked to the future of Kashmir.
He said leaders of all political parties will soon visit here for talks on finding ways to break the logjam in the valley. “I have asked the state government to make all preparations for that.”
Asked if he invited separatist leaders — who have been spearheading the agitation — for talks, Rajnath Singh said the government was ready to hold talks with anyone who believed in “insaniyat, jamhooriyat and Kashmiriyat”.
Notably, he didn’t name Pakistan for stoking trouble in the valley and didn’t repeat that talks over Kashmir will only be held under the realm of the Constitution of India — unlike previously.
It was the minister’s second visit to the valley in a month since the unrest, the deadliest in six years, erupted after the July 8 killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani.
At least 67 civilians have been killed and thousands injured in firing by security forces at pro-freedom demonstrations. Most of the injuries have been caused by pellet guns that have left hundreds partially or fully blinded.
Mehbooba Mufti justified the killings by security forces saying those hit by bullets or pellets had not gone to fetch milk or toffees.
She was asked how she justified the alleged disproportionate use of force against Kashmiri protesters when as opposition leader she had criticised the government during a similar unrest in 2010 for civilian killings. The Chief Minister got angry and asked a reporter not to compare the two situations.
“You are wrong. What happened in 2010 had a reason. There was a fake encounter in Machil. Three civilians were killed. Today three militants were killed in an encounter and how is the government to be blamed for that,” she said, referring to Wani’s killing.
She said people had come out on the roads even though the government had imposed a strict curfew.
“Had a kid gone to buy a toffee from an army camp? A 15-year-old boy who attacked a police station (in south Kashmir), had he gone to buy milk?” she asked.
She added emphatically that poor Kashmiri youth were being used as shields by vested interests. “Ninety-five percent people killed are from poor families.”
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader said only five per cent of Kashmiri people were resorting to violence and the rest “95 per cent percent people want peace…a dialogue to resolve the Kashmir issue”.
Appearing irritated, Mehbooba abruptly ended the press conference saying “Thank you” and invited journalists for a cup of tea.
The Home Minister ended his valley visit during which he met leaders of all mainstream parties and officials of civil, security and intelligence agencies.
However, trade bodies in Kashmir refused to meet him in protest against the civilian killings in Kashmir.
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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