Feature
Number of Indian workers affected in Saudi Arabia yet to be known
New Delhi:It will take a little time to ascertain the exact number of Indian workers in Saudi Arabia affected by a financial crisis, the government said on Friday.
“I think we have to wait for a little more time before we can have full clarity as to how many Indians want to return, how many want to remain there and wish to pursue employment with other companies etc.,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup said in his weekly media briefing here.
There was confusion over the number of Indian workers affected in the Gulf kingdom after External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said on July 30 that over 10,000 such workers were affected.
On August 2, the External Affairs Ministry said that in all 7,700 Indian workers belonging to four companies have been affected.
On August 3, however, after Minister of State for External Affairs V.K. Singh landed in Saudi Arabia and held a meeting with Saudi Minister for Labour and Social Development Mufrej Al Haqbani, it transpired that workers of only one company have been affected.
Swarup said that the Indian consulate in Jeddah has already given the list of workers willing to come back to India and those seeking transfer to other companies to Saudi authorities.
“As you can see, due to our excellent relationship with Saudi Arabia and efforts made at the highest level, things are in control and this humanitarian issue is being handled with utmost care and consideration,” he said.
He stated that the issue was being addressed under four broad rubrics: humanitarian issues; issues of the claims of the workers; relocation issue; and repatriation issues.
The spokesperson said after Singh’s meetings, from Thursday onwards, the Saudi government has already taken responsibility of provision of food to the workers.
Singh, he said, had also pointed that care should be taken regarding the conditions in which the workers were living in, with special focus on their health and cleanliness.
“The Director General of the Ministry of Labour and social development met with our Consul General in Jeddah and assured him that the Saudi government has instructed concerned authorities to maintain cleanliness, provide electricity, water supply and medical facilities at the camps in which Indians are staying,” Swarup stated.
As for claims of workers, Swarup said that earlier, in accordance to Saudi law, individual complaints used to go to labour courts.
“Now, the KSA (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) Ministry of Labour has set up a committee to look into the claims of the workers,” he said.
“A crisis management group has also been set up by the Ministry of Labour to settle all issues related to Indian workers. KSA Ministry of labour will now appoint a lawyer and we will know the exact procedure regarding this in the next two-three days.”
Swarup also said that the Saudi authorities have conveyed that they were willing to renew resident permits and labour cards to the Indian workers willing to stay back without any fines or fees.
“Workers who are willing to be transferred to other employers would be transferred without payment of fee or charge and without needing the consent of the current employer,” he said.
“Workers who wish to transfer their services can request the Ministry of Labour for grant of a three-month temporary resident permit-cum-labour card.”
The spokesperson said that many companies, including some Indian construction firms, were interested in taking the services of the retrenched workers.
As for those workers wishing to return to India, he said the Saudi government has said that it would make the necessary arrangements.
“The workers can authorise the Indian consulate in Jeddah to follow up on their cases in labour courts and proceed on exit if they wish,” Swarup said.
“The Saudi authorities have ensured speeding up of the final exit for these workers,” he stated, but added there would be a lag with which all workers would give their applications and issuance of transfer permits would also have to be carried out .
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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