Feature
Jaitley backs Sushma, says allegations baseless
New Delhi: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Tuesday came out in support of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, terming all allegations against her in the Lalit Modi issue as “baseless”, and said the entire BJP and the government are of one opinion on the matter.
“Let me clarify, all the allegations are baseless. The minister and the party chief (Amit Shah) have given statements…she acted bona fide with good intentions. The whole government and party share the same view on this. There is no doubt on this,” Jaitley said, speaking on the issue two days after his other ministerial colleagues came out in defence of Sushma Swaraj.
He made a brief press statement on the Jammu and Kashmir flood rehabilitation along with Home Minister Rajnath Singh, after which he was pressed with questions on the issue concerning issuance of travel documents to Lalit Modi, former IPL cricket commissioner who is charged with financial impropriety.
“Our ministers are capable of taking decisions, and all decisions taken by the government are the collective responsibility of the government,” he said.
There was speculation as to why Jaitley, who also holds the information and broadcasting portfolio, had not spoken out in favour of his senior colleague.
Social media has been rife with speculation that the leak to the media of the email exchanges between Sushma Swaraj, Lalit Modi and Indian-origin British MP Keith Vaz was the job of an “insider”, especially with Sushma Swaraj getting top rating for her good work as minister.
At the press conference, a poser was brushed aside when a scribe asked what could be the meaning of “Aastin ka saanp” (traitor), which has become one of the popular hashtags on Twitter on the episode and who could it be.
To questions on the Enforcement Directorate notice to Lalit Modi, who has been living in London since 2010, after the external affairs ministry revoked his passport, Jaitley said that the “ED has investigated several cases against the person concerned; so far show cause notices have been issued in a large number of cases. These are quasi judicial findings of the ED”.
He added that the ED has issued show cause notices to Modi in 15 out of the 16 cases and “in one case the investigation is still pending”.
To a question on the blue corner notice served on Modi, Jaitley said there is confusion about the shades of blue. He clarified that the blue corner notice served by the Interpol is a dark shade, whereas the notice served by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence on instructions of the ED is of light blue colour.
He said the blue corner notice served against Modi by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence at the request of the ED was issued in 2010, “and that notice continues to be valid”.
To a question on whether the passport of Modi would be impounded, he said that it was the matter concerning the passport authority.
To the Congress party’s charge that Sushma Swaraj could not be accused of acting alone and that it was a collective responsibility, Jaitley said that “all are on board on decisions taken and whatever decisions are taken, we are collectively responsible for it”.
Sushma Swaraj on Sunday admitted to helping Lalit Modi on “humanitarian grounds” to procure documents to travel to Portugal for treatment of his cancer-stricken wife in July last year.
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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