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Air India no longer loss-making:Government
New Delhi:Efficient functioning and reduction in operational costs has helped national carrier Air India turn from a loss-making airline into an “operational profit unit”, the Lok Sabha was informed on Tuesday.
The government also asserted that with regard to safety issues for air travellers, it will be the endeavour of the government “to keep our airports and skies absolutely safe” through foolproof adherence to prescribed international standards.
“By cutting its operational expenses by almost 11 per cent, Air India has turned from a Rs.2,636 crore loss making unit in 2014-15 to a Rs.8 crore operational profit unit in 2015-16,” Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju said while replying to the debate on demand for grant for his ministry.
He also pointed out that Air India joined Star Alliance in 2014, “which has helped it to integrate better with the international civil aviation market”.
The minister also recalled the unique contribution of Air India in the “hour of crisis — evacuating about 6,000 nationals from Yemen, 1,300 from Iraq and Libya and 17,500 passengers from quake-affected Nepal”.
The minister told members that by 2020, Air India’s fleet size is likely to grow, by about 100 aircraft to about 232, and of this 28 more aircraft will be added by January 2018.
Responding to members who during the debate on Monday raised issues concerning air passengers, the minister said the Directorate General of Civil Aviation has decided to use technology as an “enabler” and that a comprehensive e-governance project will be launched to offer 160 services online to stakeholders.
“This system will promote transparency, increase efficiency and service delivery, leading to greater ease of doing business. The first set of such services will be launched in May 2016,” Raju said.
Among other innovative schemes, the minister said Cochin airport has become the “first in the world to exclusively run on solar energy with a total installed capacity of 12 megawatt”.
Delhi and Hyderabad international airports also have eight and five megawatt solar plants respectively.
With regard to safety issues, Raju said it will continue to be the endeavour of the government “to keep our airports and skies absolutely safe through foolproof adherence to prescribed international standards”.
He said there was a “high degree of satisfaction” that in a very recent survey it was found that passenger and cargo security satisfaction level were assessed to be 99.25 per cent against a world average of 66 per cent.
To a specific issue raised by Congress member K.C. Venugopal on the fate of the request by Kerala government for an airline between Kerala and the Gulf countries, the minister said, “It (such a demand) is an imagination. No government or any airline in the name Kerala Airline has applied with the government of India.”
“I tried to make my enquiries and no airline of Kerala government is pending with the
government of India. They have not even applied,” he said amid repeated interruptions from Congress members including Venugopal.
The minister’s contention was supported by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) member Dushyant Singh, who also said the Kerala government has not made any such request to the centre.
At one point Venugopal was heard asking the minister and the treasury bench, “what happened to you, it is my right to ask the question”.
The minister said all registered airlines will have to follow the Indian rules and the Route Dispersal Route guidelines.
The demand for grant was later passed by voice vote after the cut motions were either rejected or withdrawn.
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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