Feature
Jayalalithaa completes 100 days in office
Chennai : People in Tamil Nadu woke up to full-page advertisements in newspapers about the achievements of Chief Minister J.Jayalalithaa-led AIADMK government during its first 100 days of rule.
Writing off the outstanding crop loans given by cooperative banks to over 16.94 lakh farmers; free power to households (first 100 units), to handloom weavers (200 units), 750 units to powerloom weavers; closure of 500 liquor shops and reduction of working hours of liquor outlets; emergence of power surplus states are some of the welfare measures of the government listed out in the advertisement.
The government also listed out in the advertisement the dedication of the first 1,000 MW nuclear power plant at Kudankulam as one of the many achievements.
The other achievements mentioned in the advertisement are the extension of Chennai Metro Rail Phase-I at an outlay of Rs 3,770 crore; increase in freedom fighters monthly pension to Rs 12,000, family pension and special pension increased to Rs 6,000.
The government has allocated Rs 890 crore for providing free laptops to students and Rs 182.33 crore for providing goats and milch cows free of cost to the poor.
The May 2016 assembly elections in Tamil Nadu that returned the AIADMK to power has many firsts in the history.
For instance, the ruling AIADMK retaining power is a first since 1984.
Jayalalithaa, the AIADMK general secretary, became the first chief minister to get elected for a second successive term.
It was the first time that the AIADMK contested in 227 constituencies — the highest number ever.
With its allies contesting under AIADMK’s two leaves symbol it was the first time in the party’s history to have fought an election under its symbol in all the 234 seats.
Jayalalithaa was sworn in for her sixth term on May 23, 2016.
The party has 133 members (including the Speaker) in the assemb
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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