Feature
Indians evacuated from Yemen reach Kochi
Kochi: The 168 Indians evacuated from war-torn Yemen were happy on reaching here on Thursday, but were wary of their future.
An Indian Air Force flight carrying the passengers from Djibouti landed here early Thursday. They reached Djibouti after almost a 10-hour sail on a ship from Yemen.
“We are really happy to be with our near and dear ones,” said a nurse, who was elated over her safe return but was also worried about her future.
“The bigger question is what will happen to our future… We want a job, but do not know where it will come from, as we have families to look after,” said the nurse.
Among those who landed here, around two dozen hail from Tamil Nadu. Ministers K.C. Joseph, V.K. Ebrahim Kunju and K. Babu were at the airport to receive them.
The Kerala government gave a token amount of Rs.2,000 to each of them.
State Minister for Diaspora K.C. Joseph told that they are in constant touch with the ministry of external affairs in Delhi and with the Indian officials in Yemen and Djibouti.
“While diplomatic efforts managed to break ice with Saudi Arabian authorities to clear the way for a free air zone to ensure our flights land in Yemen and then return through their air space.
“But talks with Iranian authorities are on as their permission is also required. There are another 2,500 Keralites including nurses and teachers,” said Joseph.
Another person who returned said the situation in Yemen is getting worse.
“The situation in Yemen is getting worse day by day as there are frequent bombings. Bombs were dropped around 200 metres from where I stayed. The most affected are the children,” said the returnee.
Another person who returned said: “Moreover, communications are also breaking down and then it becomes tough for Indian Embassy officials to get in touch with Indians.”
Joseph said the state government will press the central government to ensure that diplomatic talks are held to ensure the return of Indians.
“Another tough ask is that nobody knows many Keralites are there in Yemen. Also the Kerala government will do their best to see how best we can help the nurses,” Joseph said.
He said his government will look into providing jobs to the nurses who have returned.
“There are practical difficulties to find jobs for around 2,000 nurses, but our government will do everything possible,” said Joseph.
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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