Feature
Kejriwal targets Badals in Punjab, says expel them from power
Muktsar (Punjab): Making a scorning attack on Badals ruling in Punjab, Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party Chief Arvind Kejriwal told the people to expel the Badals from power, and added that the once progressive state was on the verge of ruin.
“The Badals and their family have ruined a progressive state like Punjab in 10 years. In a state which was known to feed the country, farmers are now forced to commit suicide. Such is the state of affairs here,” thundered Kejriwal, sporting a yellow turban, at a huge gathering of Aam Aadmi Party supporters during the Maghi Mela (fair) held here.
Major political parties in Punjab – the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal, the opposition Congress and new entrant AAP – held their political conferences on the occasion. They were seen as a show of strength by all the parties ahead of assembly polls to be held in the state in February next year.
Top leaders from all parties, including Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal (Akali Dal), Amarinder Singh (Congress) and Kejriwal (AAP), launched barbs at each other in their speeches.
“In 10 years, the Badals and their family have looted Punjab. In 10 years, they have spread lawlessness (goondagardi), In 10 years, the Badals have spread drugs in the state. They have forced farmers to commit suicide. In 10 years, the Badals have sucked Punjab completely,” Kejriwal said in his aggressive speech against the ruling dispensation.
“Today people have come here to take a pledge to oust the Badals. Even if people have to sacrifice their lives for this, they should be ready. Punjab is the land of sacrifices,” Kejriwal thundered.
The Delhi chief minister urged people in Punjab to take the cue from voters in Delhi who had, last year, voted the AAP to power in a big way. The AAP won 67 of the 70 assembly seats, leaving just three to the BJP – an Akali ally – and none to the Congress.
“People in Delhi have shown the way. I have spoken to many people in Punjab and I am confident the AAP will win 100 out of 117 seats in the state,” said Kejriwal, virtually launching the AAP’s election campaign.
“In Delhi, our government has stopped corruption. Eighty percent corruption has stopped in Delhi. My minister had demanded a Rs.6 lakh bribe. I sacked him immediately. If my son induldges in corruption, I will throw him out of the house too,” Kejriwal said.
He accused the Akali and Congress leaders of being hand in glove.
“The next assembly poll in Punjab is between two parties – AAP on one side and the Akali Dal, Congress and BJP together on the other side,” said a confident Kejriwal.
Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, addressing the Akali Dal’s political conference, said: “The Congress and AAP leaders are misleading people. Only the Akali Dal can bring development in Punjab.”
“Take Kejriwal to an agricultural field and Kejriwal will not even be able to recognise what crop it is. How will he help the farmers of Punjab?” Badal asked, taking a dig at the AAP leader.
Referring to Amarinder Singh, Badal said: “Amarinder has lost two times, has no capacity and has no chance to win again. He had been a rebel in the Congress in the last few years.”
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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