Feature
Ahead of Lok Sabha polls, Ayodhya get Rs 300 crore from Yogi Adityanath
Lucknow: Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, Ayodhya on Thursday got a significant share in the Uttar Pradesh Budget, including Rs 200 crore for an airport and Rs 101 crore for the development of tourist spots in the city.
As part of its focus on development and beautification of religious places in the state, the UP government has selected Ayodhya, Varanasi, Mathura and Allahabad while earmarking funds in the annual budget for 2019-20.
The allocation for Ayodhya comes amid pressure on the BJP-led government at the Centre and in the state over the construction of a Ram temple at the disputed site in the city, as the Lok Sabha elections near.
In his Budget speech in the state assembly, Finance Minister Rajesh Agarwal said Shri Kashi Vishwanath Special Area Development Board has been set up to ensure implementation of Shri Kashi Vishwanath Mandir Expansion Scheme in Varanasi.
He said Rs 207 crore has been pegged for the expansion and beautification of the road from the Ganga bank to Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi.
A budgetary provision of Rs 16 crore has been made to set up a Vaidik Vigyan Kendra in Kashi Hindu Vishwavidyalaya in the city and Rs 27 crore has been set aside for integrated development of major tourist places in Garh Mukteshwar.
While Rs 8.38 crore has been proposed to get an auditorium constructed between Mathura-Vridavan, a provision of Rs 5 crore has been made for construction of boundary walls around public Ramlila grounds.
Before LS polls Yogi Adityanath government allots Rs 300 crore for Ayodhya:
A provision of Rs 1 crore has been made to strengthen Vrindavan Shodh Sansthan and Rs 125 crore allocated for infrastructural facilities in Uttar Pradesh Brij Tirtha.
The minister sad Rs 70 crore has been marked for implementation of Tourism Policy-2018 and another Rs 50 crore for pro-poor tourism.
It is proposed in the Budget to strengthen Lahartara Talab, Kabir Sthal and Seergovardhanpur, the birth place of Guru Ravidas, in Varanasi.
It is also proposed to develop Rishi Bhardwaj Ashram and Shringverpur Dham in Allahabad.
Moreover, it is also proposed to ensure development of Vindhyachal and Naimisharanya; Sarnath, Shravasti, Kushinagar, Kapilvastu, Kaushambi and Sankisa under Buddhist Circuit; Shakumbhari Devi and Shukratal; Tulsi Peeth in Rajapur, Chitrakoot; Maharaja Suheldeo site and Chittaura Lake in Bahraich; and Bijli Pasi Qila in Lucknow.
Of total Rs 1,000 crore allocated for construction, expansion and strengthening of airstrips in Uttar Pradesh, Rs 800 crore have been proposed to acquire land for the Jewar airport.
An allocation of Rs 150 crore has also been made for providing air services under the UP Civil Aviation Promotion Policy-2017 and the Regional Connectivity Scheme.
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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