Feature
Amit Shah, Vasundhara Raje-Shivraj Singh likely to get Cabinet berth!
New Delhi: The NDA’s landslide victory in the Lok Sabha elections has put the spotlight on the next big headline: the men and women who will be in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s council of ministers.
Modi, the first Prime Minister to win two clear majorities in a row, could possibly bring in new faces in his Council of Ministers.
There is intense speculation that BJP President Amit Shah might be given a heavyweight Cabinet berth. He was not included in the Council of Ministers in the first term of the Modi government. Taking into account his exceptional role in delivering the party a massive second mandate, he could well be retained in the same position.
But since the party has a policy of one person not being given two positions, Shah may have to give up his role as the BJP chief in case he is inducted in the Council of Ministers.
It is also being said that Piyush Goyal, who held the finance portfolio when Arun Jaitley was unwell, is a candidate for this top portfolio.
Goyal, the Railways Minister, has been chipping in whenever Jaitley had to take leave for medication for his ailment. Jaitley, who is said to indisposed, is likely to be made Minister Without Portfolio.
Jaitley was conspicuous by his absence on Thursday evening at the victory celebrations held at the BJP headquarters led by the Prime Minister and Shah. Prior to the celebrations, Shah went to meet him at his residence.
The first major task before the new Finance Minister will be to present the full Budget by July. In February, Piyush Goyal had presented the Interim Budget in view of the Lok Sabha elections.
After landslide victory Amit Shah, Vasundhara Raje-Shivraj Singh may get Ministry!:
Smriti Irani, who held Textiles portfolio till now, is expected to get back the HRD Ministry, considering that she has emerged as a giant killer by defeating Congress President Rahul Gandhi in his family pocket borough Amethi.
Gadkari, who was Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Shipping and Water Resources, may also get a bigger portfolio in view of the successful work done by him in the ministries held by him in the first term. He is also believed to have the blessings of the RSS.
Ram Madhav, BJP’s General Secretary (Organisation), may also be made a Minister and given an important portfolio with Cabinet rank.
Former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje is also likely to be inducted in the ministry with a Cabinet berth. Among other new faces who could be brought in is former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh.
Niti Aayog too may have a new vice chairman with Nandan Nilekeni replacing Rajiv Kumar. There may also been new representatives from the NDA allies, like the Shiv Sena and JD(U).
The new Council of Ministers is also likely to see some of the ministers of the outgoing Council not finding their place. Among them are Hansraj Ahir and Shiv Sena’s Anant Geete, both of whom lost the just-held Lok Sabha elections.
There is also a possibility of Uma Bharati not finding a place in the new Council of Ministers. The party will also have to look for a new Lok Sabha Speaker, since Sumitra Mahajan did not contest this time.
As part of the bureaucratic rejig, Cabinet Secretary P.K. Sinha or Delhi Lt Governor Anil Baijal may be made Principal Secretary to the PM.
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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