Feature
I wasn’t elected to cut ribbons, will weed out graft: Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Dehradun: Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a strong pitch for demonetisation on Tuesday and said the move is aimed to weed out corruption from the country and give India its long deserving place.The country, which was once referred to as a ‘Golden Bird’, has now become just the opposite, Modi said addressing a public rally at Parade Grounds here and reiterated his commitment to take on the corrupt and black money.
Amid cheers from a large gathering, Modi made a fervent appeal to the people of Uttarakhand to vote for a BJP government in the state in the 2017 state assembly polls, saying this is the only way to bring the hill state out of the mess it finds itself in.”You need a double engine to pull it out. One engine you have installed in Delhi and the second one should come in form of a BJP government in the state,” he stated.
Pinpointing graft as the biggest stumbling block in the progress of the country, the Prime Minister said he was voted to power with a majority in 2014 by the people of India “not to cut ribbons and light inaugural lamps”.”They (the people) wanted me to act, and here I am after the corrupt people and black money, which was being used for human trafficking, drugs, mafia and the underworld.”
He once again targeted the opposition parties and some politicians for siding with the corrupt and black money hoarders.Modi also thanked the people for facing hardships post demonetisation but endorsing his fight against graft and black money.”The people of India by and large are people who side with the honest and I am happy that I have your blessings, else what these politicians would have done to me, only God knows,” Modi said.Taking a dig at the people opposing the demonetisation decision, the Prime Minister said the corrupt are sweating, as his government is after them for looting the money which belongs to the people.
He also underlined his resolve to bring the corrupt to book and account for every single penny belonging to the poor people.Modi referred to OROP (One-Rank-One-Pension) scheme and saluted the defence personnel for understanding the financial constraints of the union government and for agreeing to take the arrears in four instalments.He also informed that so far Rs 6,600 crore has been distributed under the OROP scheme.In a state headed to elect a new assembly in the next few weeks, Modi also tried to woo the young and the unemployed that his government has done away with the practice of interviews for Group C and D jobs, which breeds corruption and nepotism.
“Now, only merit guarantees one a job, while earlier it used to be notes that did so,” he said as the crowd applauded.The PM also laid the foundation stone for an ‘all-weather’ road for the ‘Char Dham’ annual pilgrimage.
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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