Feature
Black money promotes terror, says Modi
New Delhi: India has convinced world leaders that black money needs to be fought as it promotes terrorism and destabilizes world peace, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Friday.
Writing in his blog a day after ending a 10-day trip to Myanmar, Australia and Fiji, Modi also said that the world was now looking at India with renewed respect and immense enthusiasm.
He said India placed the issue of existence and repatriation of black money at the forefront – at the G-20 summit in Australia. And the G-20 had agreed to battle black money.
“I am glad the world community took note of this because this is an issue that does not selectively affect one nation,” he said.
“The menace of black money has the potential to destabilize world peace and harmony.
“Black money also brings with it terrorism, money laundering and narcotics trade,” he said.
Modi also said that the Indian diaspora must be a part of the country’s development.
Underlining the “historic uniqueness” of his trip, he said he met a total of 38 world leaders and had 20 bilateral meetings during which he had “frank, comprehensive and fruitful” discussions.
“During these bilateral meetings, I noticed one thing — that the world is looking at India with renewed respect and immense enthusiasm! I see a global community that is tremendously keen to engage with India.”
Modi said his was the first bilateral visit to Australia by an Indian prime minister in 28 years. Fiji witnessed such a visit after 33 years.
On his first halt in Myanmar, Modi attended the East Asia and the ASEAN summits before getting into bilaterals with Myanmar leaders. He took part in the G-20 Summit in Australia. He then went to Fiji.
Modi said he and his Australian counterpart Tony Abbott made “unprecedented progress in the areas of energy, culture and security and are moving very positively on the issue of nuclear energy”.
Modi said India and the ASEAN “can explore new frontiers together”.
He said strengthening trade and commerce and drawing industry to India was a central part of the discussions he had during the visit.
“Numerous leaders I met were very optimistic about our ‘Make in India’ initiative and are keen to come to India and be a part of the extensive and diverse opportunities India has to offer.
“I see this as a positive sign.”
The prime minister said India can do a lot for Fiji and other Pacific Island nations and “there is a lot we can learn from them”.
“I discussed affordable housing with PM (Najib Tun) Razak of Malaysia, energy issues with the Sultan of Brunei (Hassanal Bolkiah) and urban development issues with PM Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore.”
Modi said he was “convinced, with even greater consciousness, of the positive difference India can make on the world stage”.
“We want to create an environment where our diaspora also feel that they can contribute towards India’s development journey.”
Modi paid tributes to the Indian diaspora.
“On a personal note, the affection (I got) from the Indian community was touching,” Modi said. “Be it in Myanmar, Australia and Fiji, I will not be able to describe their warmth in words.
“I could see that they were proud of India and the changes happening in India. I could see dreams and expectations in their eyes.
“As I said during the Indian community programme in Sydney, we are fully aware of the expectations and we will leave no stone unturned in creating the India of their dreams,” he added.
Modi announced visa-on-arrival facilities during the visit.
“It is our aim to make the diaspora an integral part of our development journey and since the last few months we have channelised our efforts in this regard.”
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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