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Naga Peace Pact Talks to Move Ahead With Rajnath Singh’s Visit to Assam Today

Published

5 years ago

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Deputy National Security Adviser and Prime Minister’s special envoy for the Naga peace talks, R.N. Ravi, is arriving in Dimapur and would travel to Kohima over the next two days to conclude the protracted Naga peace talks, sources said.

Government sources said with the Naga groups expected to reciprocate with “pragmatic flexibility”, the final agreement could be signed “any day”.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh is visiting Assam on Tuesday and there could be some forward movement in the talks.

Sources say the government is ready to consider a Naga flag for a pan-Naga cultural body and to term the final agreement as the “Naga Constitution”.

A source said that there has been an apparent understanding on the Naga flag and on opening autonomous cultural centres in states adjoining Nagaland with Naga population.
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In a recent interview to the Nagaland Post, Ravi had said that Naga peace talks were at the “concluding stage”.

“Political principles of settlement, substantive issue of competencies and structural issues of governance have all been mutually agreed. The peace process has become truly inclusive with the seven Naga groups coming onboard. We have mutual understanding with NSCN (I-M) that they would not oppose constructive cooperation in the peace process and their participation in the final agreement. The peace process can conclude any day,” he said.

Asked if he is saying that the talks are in the final stage, Ravi said the Naga political issue is a very old and complex one and in the last four years, the negotiating parties have made significant continuous progress by resolving several facets of it.

“(These are) like political parameters of settlement and the specifics of various competencies to be shared between the Naga people and the government of India. All issues have been mutually understood and agreed upon.

“However, a few issues mainly a flag and a constitution are sticky. On these issues, the two sides have differing positions. We will sign the agreement as soon as these are resolved,” he told the newspaper.

On what is holding the negotiating parties in solving the flag and constitution issue, Ravi said the government was aware of Naga people’s sentiment over the flag which must be respected.

“Our position is that the Naga flag should be located in the Pan Naga cultural body, which would be a common platform of all the Nagas. Similarly, the final agreement, which would have to be duly incorporated in the Constitution of India, could be the Naga ‘Yehzabo’. However, the Naga negotiators are not agreeing to it,” he said.

Asked about differences on these issues with both NSCN (I-M) and Working Committee of the Naga National Political Groups (NNPGs), Ravi said both of them have insisted on recognition of the Naga flag.

“On the issue of ‘Yehzabo’, we are trying to reach a common position with NSCN (I-M),” he said.

Speaking to IANS on Monday, Ravi said: “My interview to the Nagaland Post covered every aspect (of the peace talks). Everything is clarified. I have already answered what is ‘flag’ (in the context of Naga peace talks” and our position on it.”

Some stakeholders had, however, last week boycotted their scheduled meetings with Ravi, citing “insincerity” on the part of the Central government. They included the Naha Hoho, the Naga Mothers’ Association and Naga Students’ Federation.

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Entertainment

Meghalaya Reserves Legalized Gambling and Sports Betting for Tourists

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2 years ago

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June 25, 2022

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PureWin Online Betting

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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