Feature
Centre eroding Kashmir’s distinct identity: Lawmaker
Srinagar: An independent lawmaker in Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday vowed to protect his state’s “distinct identity” and accused successive governments at the Centre of “colonial behaviour”.
“Delhi has played with our sentiments and reneged on its promises. But, unfortunately our local leaders, be it National Conference or Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, have surrendered our national pride to save their chair,” legislator Engineer Rashid said at a public meet in Srinagar.
He said Jammu and Kashmir has its own flag, constitution and anthem which were guaranteed by parliament through the 1952 Delhi Agreement.
“Today we ask the Indian leadership to restore the Delhi Agreement and live up to their promise. This is the only way to bridge the gap and alienation between Srinagar and Delhi,” Rashid said at a meet he called “State-flag day”.
On this day in 1952, the then Jammu and Kashmir Constituent Assembly adopted the state’s flag.
Rashid – the legislator from Langate in Kupwara district – demanded June 7 be named “State Flag Day” and declared a holiday in Jammu and Kashmir.
“The Constituent Assembly had passed a resolution regarding the flag, that it will be rectangular, red in colour with three equidistant vertical lines next to the staff and a white plough in the middle with its handle facing the strips.
“Twenty-one members of the assembly, including Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah, Mirza Afzal Beigh, Kirshan Dev Sethi, gave speeches, but not a single one of them used the word ‘J&K state’ but referred it as a country and promised to protect its distinct status, irrespective of caste, creed, colour or religion,” he said.
Rashid said accession of Jammu and Kashmir to the union of India in 1947 was on “certain conditions” which have to be respected.
“We are not begging before Delhi. If you won’t honour this flag of ours, people here will have no option but to waive green flags,” he said, in a reference to separatists waving Pakistani flags at a recent rally.
“Syama Prasad Mukherjee’s dream of one country, one constitution and one flag slogan won’t work here,” he said, referring to the Jana Sangh leader’s opposition to the state’s separate constitutional status.
Rashid said Article 370 of the Constitution, that accords special status to Kashmir, should be restored to its original position.
“If the article goes, so will go the state’s accession with India. Article 370 acts as a bridge and its threads hold Jammu and Kashmir with India,” he added.
Rashid accused the Bharatiya Janata Party-Peoples Democratic Party ruling alliance of pushing Kashmiris to the wall, and Chief Minister Sayeed of dancing to the tunes of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
He also accused the government of conspiring to appoint non-locals and non-Muslims to key posts in the state administration.
“I am not a communal person. Non-Muslims constitute 25 percent, give them their share. But what about the rest of the people? You (government) are creating a dangerous situation here,” he said.
He accused Kashmiri Pandits of “reaping benefits” under the garb of being victims.
“Pandits have every right to return but tell me how many of them were killed for raising the Indian flag here?”
“They (Pandits) claim to be victims but it was actually Kashmiri Muslims who were killed either in the name of militants, policemen or as supporters of pro-India groups,” he said.
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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