Feature
Odisha government suffering from multi-organ failure: BJP
Bhubaneswar:Launching a scathing attack on the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the Odisha unit of the BJP on Tuesday said the state government was suffering from ‘multi-organ failure’ for last one year.
Reacting over completion of one year of Naveen Patnaik-led Odisha government in its fourth term, senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Bijay Mohapatra said the chief minister has failed to govern the state, leading to multi-organ failure in the administration.
He said it was an indictment year for the state government with the Supreme Court and the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India exposing the misdeeds in their several orders and reports respectively.
The BJP leader said the ministers remained powerless in the state government while some senior bureaucrats were calling the shots.
He mocked at the chief minister for relying on notes and not speaking extempore during his address to media and other programmes since last 15 years.
Accusing the government of failing to provide employment to youths in the state, Mohapatra said, the government spent Rs.135.35 crore to recruit only 752 people by organising job fairs across the state.
The youths, the BJP leader said, were betrayed by the government by not ensuring jobs to them.
He also lashed out at the government for returning about Rs.6,000 crore to the Centre during 2008-09 to 2013-14.
“If this is not the incapability of the government, then what else? You (the chief minister) should face the people and come for an open debate instead of engaging your party leaders to speak on behalf of you,” said Mohapatra.
On the chit fund scam, he said: “The chief minister was claiming that there was no involvement of political leaders in the chit fund scam. But, several leaders including MPs and MLAs of BJD were arrested by CBI in chit fund scam while the investigating team reached Naveen Nivas.”
With the government launching schemes at the drop of a hat, he said populist schemes were not for sustainable and economic development of the state.
Mohapatra alleged that the state government relegated the development process to back seat in last 15 years by launching the populist schemes.
Alleging that the chief minister’s residence was built on a patch of land which belongs to Lingaraj temple, the BJP leader dared Patanik to produce the documents of his house before people and come out clean over the issue.
The BJP leader noted that the year started with disturbance during Lord Jagannath chariot festival, and expressed the hope that there would be end of the government after Nabakalebar festival.
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.
Foodman Vishal Singh Honored for Hunger Free World Mission in Bangkok
Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
Cheers and Cheers: Barzilla’s Joyful Ode to Inclusivity and Celebration
Casino Days Reveal Internal Data on Most Popular Smartphones
Meghalaya Reserves Legalized Gambling and Sports Betting for Tourists
IPL 20202 UPDATE: KXIP vs MI IPL Dream11 Team Prediction for Today Match, Update Point Table of all Team.
In a Live debate AAP leader Syed Asad Abbas hurls abuses to BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma.
‘India’s Most Wanted’ trailer out Arjun Kapoor on hunt of Osama-Bin-Laden
Time to move on: Sonakshi on Shatrughan’s joining Congress
