Feature
SC seeks composite response on slaughterhouse modernisation
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday asked the Centre to file a “composite affidavit” stating number of licenced slaughter houses in the country.
It also sought to know about the progress made in the slaughter houses’ modernisation coupled with the elimination of cruelty towards the animals brought for slaughtering.
As the apex court social justice bench comprising Justice Madan B. Lokur and Justice Uday Umesh Lalit sought a “composite affidavit” giving it the situation of the slaughter houses in their entirety, the court appointed the Ministry for Urban Development to co-ordinate with different ministers dealing with different aspects of the slaughterhouses.
The court said that response would include “number of recognised slaughterhouses in the country, progress made in the modernisation of slaughterhouse, enforcing of Prevention of Cruelty to Animal Act and the number of prosecution latched against the violators”.
The apex court appointed the Ministry of Urban Development as nodal ministry to co-ordinate with other ministries so that picture of slaughterhouses could be placed before it in its totality as it found different ministries represented by various counsel either speaking in different voices or passing the buck to the other ministry.
Finding the situation exasperating, the court found that affidavit by the ministry of urban development washing off its hand from the issue and putting the onus on the other ministries.
“If there is a conflict of stand in these ministries, I don’t know who will resolve the issue”, observed Justice Lokur, as Additional Solicitor General Pinki Anand intervened to salvage the situation by seeking time to address the concern of the court on the next hearing of the matter slated for October 9.
Referring to the exercises undertaken in pursuance to the court’s directions of August 23, 2012 and August 27, 2013, the court said “half of the country does not listen to what you say. Nobody is bothered to listen to you”.
Referring to the letters sent to the Centre by the state governments on the setting up of the committees for the purpose of supervising and monitoring the implementation of the directions of the court, given in its August 23, 2012 and August 27, 2013 orders.
Describing the replies sent by the States as “casual”, the court said the letter dories not say what ids the composition of State committees, number of vacancies forms of the committees and when their term will expire.
“This is ridiculous. This is ridiculous. You find out from them. Casual affidavit. Casual meetings. One does not know how much money was spent on these meetings”, the court said, expressing its displeasure the serious matter was being dealt with by the Centre and the state government.
The apex court by its August 23, 2012, order had highlighted the “extreme necessity” of constituting State Committees for the purpose of supervising and monitoring the implementation of the provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Establishment and Registration of Societies for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) Rules, 2000, the Environment Protection Act, 1986, the Solid Waste (Management and 1 Handling) Rules, 2000, the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Slaughter House) Rules, 2000 etc.
By its August 27, 2013, the court had directed the Committees to implement the broad framework prepared by the MoEF and to file an Action Taken Report. Few Committees have filed their Action Taken Reports.
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
