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PM Modi gets emotional while paying tribute to martyrs at National Police Memorial Inauguration
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday got emotional while remembering the sacrifice of police personnel who laid their lives in the line of duty since Independence.
“You have foiled several conspiracies that were attempted to create fear and insecurity in the country. The conspiracies which do not come out ever. The valour for which you never praised publicly. Every peaceful moment of the country and countrymen is the result of your commitment towards your service,” Modi said while dedicating the National Police Memorial (NPM).
October 21 is observed as the Police Commemoration Day every year in memory of the policemen killed at Hot Springs in Ladakh by Chinese troops on this date in 1959.
The memorial, erected on 6.12 acres of land in Chanakyapuri at the northern end of Shanti Path, is built in the memory of 34,844 police personnel who have been killed in the line of duty since 1947, with 424 losing their lives this year.
Modi said the day is a moment to remember every personnel who have been fighting terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir and maintaining peace and security there
He lauded the personnel who have been providing security in Maoist-affected areas in the country, saying: “You are doing great job and moving very fast in the direction to establish peace. If the Naxal problem is decreasing, if the people belonging to that areas are joining in main stream, it is because of your great effort.
“We are now feeling your valour and sacrifice in northeast in form of peace. You have a great role in the development of northeast region of the country.”
Modi said that this was also a moment to remember those who are providing help in disaster like situation whose service is not so much discussed.
“In disaster situation, you have seen people of NDRF (National Disaster Response Force) and SDRF (State Disaster Response Force) personnel, but no one knows that the persons adorned in Khaki are our police personnel”, said Modi, being emotional.
Taking a moment’s pause, the Prime Minister said: “The country will never forget their courage, service and sacrifice. People don’t know that who held the responsibility when a building collapses, when boat capsizes in river and floods affect areas. I congratulate to these police personnel.”
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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