Feature
Stage set for smooth conduct of Chardham Yatra on occasion of Akshaya Tritiya
Dehradun: With the Chardham Yatra set to begin on the auspicious occasion of Akshaya Tritiya on Tuesday, the Uttarakhand government has been preparing for a smooth conduct of the annual yatra to the Hindu shrines.
While Gangotri and Yamunotri shrines will reopen on Tuesday, Kedarnath and Badrinath shrines will open to the pilgrims on Thursday and Friday, respectively, a government official said on Sunday.
Heavy snow from the roads leading to the four shrines nestled in the Garhwal Himalayas was cleared and efforts were underway to rebuild the damaged structures and logistics there.
“Heavy snow is still there around the Kedarnath temple premises but snow from the path leading to the shrine has been cleared,” said Mohan Lal Thapliyal, Chairman of the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee.
After a large number of huts were damaged during heavy snowfall (15-20 feet) in January-February, the government had taken up the uphill task to clear the snow at the Kedarnath premises, situated at a height of 11,755 feet in Rudraprayag district.
Most of the snow has melted and only 4-5 feet was remaining.
On occasion of Akshaya Tritiya stage set for smooth conduct of Chardham Yatra:
The highway authorities were working to cover potholes and other sundry works on the roads leading to Chardham shrines.
All major construction activities such as cutting work on the roads leading to the four shrines have been stopped for the convenience of pilgrims who come in all sorts of transports, said Thapliyal.
The road leading to Yamunotri shrine in Uttarkashi district was in bad shape with repair work on a vital bridge connecting the temple still underway.
“We are hopeful that all the reconstruction work will be completed by May 7,” said Ashish Chauhan, District Magistrate of Uttarkashi.
Director General of Police, Anil Raturi, on Saturday held a meeting of top police officials here to review security arrangements for the pilgrims.
He said adequate police force will be deployed at all the vital points in the Chardham Yatra.
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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