Feature
Modi criticises Pakistan, its 15-year terror bill Is $118 bn
As Prime Minister Narendra Modi criticised Pakistan — without naming the country — for supporting terror groups, 671 infiltration incidents and 738 terrorist attacks were reported in Jammu and Kashmir over the last three years, according to a government reply to parliament during its just-concluded monsoon session.
As many as 141 terrorists and 64 civilians were killed across the state between 2013 and July 10, 2016, the reply said.
A staggering 23,061 terrorists, 1,431 civilians and 6,220 security personnel have died in J&K over 28 years to August 7, 2016, according to the South Asia Terrorism Portal.
About 34,000 AK-47 rifles, 5,000 grenade launchers, 90 light machine guns, 12,000 revolvers, three anti-tank guns, four anti-aircraft guns, 350 missile launchers and 63,000 kg of explosives, including RDX, and more than 100,000 grenades were seized by security forces from terrorists in J&K over the last 25 years, Modi said on August 12, 2016 at an all-party meeting on J&K.
“During this period, more than 5,000 foreign terrorists were killed, which is almost equal to the strength of five battalions (of the Indian Army),” said Modi.
Terrorism has cost Pakistan $118 billion over the last 15 years in direct and indirect costs, according to Pakistan’s Economic Survey 2015-16.
“Pakistan forgets that it bombs its own citizens using fighter planes. The time has come when Pakistan shall have to answer to the world for the atrocities committed by it against people in Baluchistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir,” Modi said on August 12.
As many as 351 incidents of violence were reported against minorities in Pakistan between 2012 and 2015, according to the 2016 report State Of Religious Freedom In Pakistan by Jinnah Institute, a public policy advocacy in Pakistan.
“Sindh and Balochistan, in particular, witnessed persistent targeted killings and bomb attacks against members of the Shia community. In Balochistan, anti-Shia messaging in public spaces and in the press continued with impunity,” the report said.
People in Balochistan had thanked him for standing by them, according to Modi.
In 2015, 247 civilians were killed in Balochistan, of which 114 were attributed to militant outfits and 143 were considered the work of the state apparatus and its surrogates, according to South Asia Terrorism Portal.
Since 2004, till April 17, 2016, at least 922 civilian killings were reported by militant outfits. In addition, 463 people went missing and 157 bodies were found mutilated in Balochistan in 2015.
(16.08.2016. In arrangement with IndiaSpend.org, a data-driven, non-profit, public interest journalism platform, with which Chaitanya Mallapur is an analyst. The views expressed are those of IndiaSpend. The author can be reached at respond@indiaspend.org)
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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