Feature
Modi coins new ‘five Es’ mantra at science congress
Mysuru:The 103rd Indian Science Congress (ISC) began here on Sunday on a high note, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi coining a new mantra of “five Es” for enquiry and engineering by the scientific community.
“Impact of science will be most when scientists and technologists will keep principles of what I call ‘Five Es’ at the centre of their enquiry and engineering,” Modi said after inaugurating the five-day annual science fair, about 140 km from Bengaluru.
The five Es are Economy, Environment, Energy, Empathy and Equity.
“Economy is when we find cost effective and efficient solutions, environment — when our carbon footprint is lightest and its impact on ecology is least possible, energy — when our prosperity relies less on energy and energy we use keep sky blue and earth green,” Modi said in his inaugural address.
Elaborating the other two Es, the prime minister said empathy would be when efforts were in tune with one’s culture, circumstance and social challenges.
“Equity is when science advances inclusive development and improves welfare of the weakest,” Modi told a galaxy of distinguished scientists, five Nobel laureates and hundreds of students at the semi-circular amphitheatre in the sprawling Mansagangotri campus of University of Mysore.
The five Es coincide with the centenary of Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity – E=mc2, the world famous equation and mathematical formula published in 1916.
“We must recall the humanism that defined Einstein’s thought — concern for man and his fate must always form the chief interest of all technical endeavours,” Modi said in his 30-minute address in English.
Asserting that nothing could be a higher duty in public life or as private citizens to leave the planet in a better state for future generations, Modi said all disciplines of science, technology and engineering should unite for the common cause.
Observing that it was a privilege to begin the New Year in the company of eminent scientists and technologies from across the country and the world over, Modi said the world progressed on human instinct to enquire, explore for knowledge and address human challenges.
“Our success spans from core of a tiny atom to frontier of space. We have enhanced food and health security and given hope for a better life to others in the world,” he said.
Noting that people have inhabited many worlds with achievements in science and technology, the prime minister said uncertainty and despair of many living at the edge of existence have made the people look for a life of hope, opportunity, dignity and equity.
Exhorting the scientific community to meet people’s aspirations, Modi said the richness of the country’s tradition, consciousness of modern age and strength of the commitment to world should help it to choose the most sustainable path.
“The success of one-sixth of humanity will also mean a more prosperous and a sustainable future for the world. We can only do this with your leadership and support,” he told an audience of around 10,000 people.
Besides Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, union Science and Technology Minister Harsha Vardhan and Bharat Ratna C.N. Rao, Indian Science Congress Association president A.K. Saxena and University of Mysore vice chancellor K.S. Rangappa were present on the occasion.
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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