Feature
US Prez Obama addresses people at Siri Fort Auditorium
New Delhi: Concluding the three-day visit to India today, US President Barack Obama addressed the town hall meeting at south Delhi’s Siri Fort Auditorium to talk with 2000 people, mostly youth on India-US ties.
Firstly, Obama interacted with his fellow Noble laureate Kailash Satyarthi, along with Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai and three children named Deepak, Ayud and Payal, who were set free from child labour by Sathyarthi.
Commencing the speech by saying Namaste, Obama brings the friendship greetings of American citizens to the Indian people saying ‘Dhanyawad’.
Obama said that it is a great honour for me to join this Republic Day celebration.
He said, “I recognised India with the first visit of my presidency where we also danced to some ‘Bhangra’.”
He added that Martin Luther King Jr, during his protests against racial discrimination, said that his guiding light was Mahatma Gandhi. He said that India is Gandhi’s land.
We are one of the few nations who have gone both to the moon and Mars, says Obama.
Barack said that we want to assist India to build bullet trains and smart cities.
Obama appreciated the efforts of India for generating more clean energy.
Our goal should be a world without nuclear weapons.
I propose a new United Nations Security Council with India as a permanent member.
Both the countries can stand against human trafficking and eliminate modern day slavery.
Praising his wife Mitchelle Obama, he said that “I am married to a strong, talented woman who is not frightened to speak her mind when she thinks I am wrong. With two daughters, I am surrounded by strong and beautiful women.”
We live in countries where a grandson of a cook can become President and son of a tea-seller can become PM, says Obama.
Have been treated differently for the color of my skin, says Barack Obama.
India will succeed so long as it is not splintered on religious lines, says Obama.
He said that everyone has the right to practice their faith without fear of persecution, discrimination.
US welcomes greater role for India in the Asia Pacific, says Obama.
He further added that Indian women have shown that they can succeed in every field.
Every woman should be able to go about her day and be safe and be treated with the respect and dignity that she deserves India, says Obama.
He added that 100 year ago, the US welcomed the son of India Swami Vivekananda, who delivered a vast knowledge on Yoga and Hinduism.
Obama also said that Shah Rukh Khan, Milkha Singh and Mary Kom inspire us.
As Americans, we believe in the promise of India. We believe in the people of India, says Obama.
We must remember Gandhi Ji’s words when he said, “I see different religions as flowers of the same garden and branches of the same majestic tree.”
Our nations are strongest when we empower the young people.
Inspiring the youths, Obama said that Michelle and I don’t come from healthy backgrounds… without education we wouldn’t be here today.
We are proud to be India’s friend and partner as you build the country of your dreams. Jai Hind, says Obama.
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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