Feature
Yashwant Sinha delivers support to government on JNU
New Delhi: As the ongoing JNU matter is heating up gradually, Veteran Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Yashwant Sinha lately stated that he is with the central government on the issue.
Sinha also said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should not have visited Lahore on December 25 to greet his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif.
Sinha, who has been critical of the working style of Modi and BJP president Amit Shah, however told that he supported the government’s action vis-a-vis the JNU issue.
“On this, I am with the government. Anti-India activities can’t be tolerated and stringent action must be taken against the culprits. Be it JNU or any other university or any part of the country, it should not be allowed to be a hub for anti-national activities,” he added.
Sinha, a former finance and external affairs minister, came down heavily on the Congress for politicising the row.
“Whatever happened at the JNU campus was totally wrong,” he said, referring to the February 9 meeting on Kashmir where anti-India slogans were raised. “The government took the right action. And when it acted tough, the Congress started its politics.”
Sinha also accused the Congress of creating hurdles for the Modi government.
“Be it FTII or Hyderabad or JNU… After its (Congress’) debacle in the Lok Sabha polls, there are some elements in the country which want this government not to work freely.
“Whenever they get an opportunity, they create hurdles for the Modi government.”
Sinha flayed the Congress for demanding proof from Home Minister Rajnath Singh that the JNU incident had the support of Pakistani terrorist Hafiz Saeed.
“Who are they to demand proof? Should he (Rajnath) show proof at India Gate or Vijay Chowk?” Sinha said, adding the country must believe what the home minister says.
Sinha, however, made his opposition known to Modi’s dramatic visit to Lahore on his way back to India from Afghanistan.
“I don’t agree with the way Modi suddenly visited Pakistan in his effort to have good relations with them. We have seen the results of such efforts during (Atal Bihari) Vajpayee’s time.”
At Lahore, Modi and Sharif pledged to pursue the peace process. The meeting was followed by an attack on an IAF base in Pathankot in Punjab by Pakistani terrorists.
“He (Modi) doesn’t need to again reinvent the wheel. India should deal very cautiously with Pakistan and should only try to maintain its relationship. I am of the clear view that India should not engage with Pakistan further as it will not benefit us.”
Sinha added: “India should not have any structured dialogue with Pakistan. Be it composite or comprehensive. We don’t need any such dialogue.
“I don’t mean India should go for war. Neither do I mean we should close our High Commission in Pakistan.
“I mean to say India should not begin any structured dialogue with Pakistan as it is not going to benefit (us).”
Sinha, whose son is the Minister of State for Finance Jayant Sinha, said all efforts to have a dialogue with Pakistan would be in vain till it agreed to discuss cross-border terrorism.
“We want to discuss the issue of terrorism but Pakistan wants Kashmir on the table. Till date, there is no agreement between the two countries. So, how will the talks proceed?”
Sinha refused to compare Modi with Vajpayee, saying he has no experience of working with Modi.
“I am not a part of the Modi government. So how can I compare the working style of the two leaders?”
Sinha refused to take questions on Amit Shah.
“Will not comment anything on Amit Shah… I will not even hear your question… If you take his name, I will…,” Sinha responded, when asked about the BJP president.
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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