Feature
Naga insurgents losing steam, says Indian Army
Agartala: The Indian Army is confident of handling any fresh violence unleashed by a Naga separatist faction operating from its bases in Myanmar, but will deal with the rebel challenge “very differently” this time, a top commander has said.
Lieutenant General Bipin Rawat, commanding the Indian Army’s Kohima-based 3 Corps that is responsible for counter-insurgency operations in Nagaland and other northeastern states, said that the faction headed by Myanmarese Naga rebel leader S.S. Khaplang can’t do very much because it lacks popular support.
“In Nagaland, the people have got used to the peace dividend for the last 17 years. They don’t like resumption of rebel violence because that will mean military operations again which affects their normal lives. So Khaplang stands isolated,” Lt. Gen Rawat told.
He admitted that Khaplang is sheltering Assamese, Bodo, and Manipuri rebel factions at his base area in Myanmar’s Sagaing province.
“Other Naga rebel factions and political groups have no stomach for fresh violence, as they have got used to peace. So they are determined to keep his fighters out of Nagaland,” Lt. Gen. Rawat said.
Khaplang had earlier alleged that Indian intelligence is using other Naga rebel factions in India to block his fighters because these factions have given up the demand for Naga independence.
Lt. Gen. Rawat said the Indian Army will handle the fresh rebel challenge in northeast “very differently”.
“We have built up a people-friendly image over the last 17 years of ceasefire in Nagaland and other parts of the northeast. When Khaplang’s fighters ambushed and killed eight of our troops in Mon district recently, we restrained our troops and there was no backlash. The locals saw us as a responsible force and now they are joining up to resist Khaplang because they blame him for breaking the ceasefire,” Lt. Gen Rawat said.
When asked about the formation of a united rebel platform UNLFW, Lt. Gen Rawat saw a ‘foreign hand’ in it. But he was unwilling to identify which of India’s neighbours could have been responsible for getting the disparate rebel groups to unite.
Intelligence officials have said earlier they suspect Chinese involvement in orchestrating the formation of a rebel platform.
Lt. Gen. Rawat said the people in the northeast are “fed-up” with the systematic extortion by rebel groups.
“This has made the rebels really unpopular. How long can people pay so-called taxes to so many groups? In days to come, they will react strongly,” he said.
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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