Feature
Shiv Sena ‘blesses’ Muslim MBA who was denied job
Mumbai: The Shiv Sena showered its ‘blessings’ on Zeeshan Ali Khan, a Muslim MBA who was recently refused a job in a well-known diamond export company but now absorbed by the Adani Group in Mumbai.
“If something like this had happened, it is condemnable in the strongest terms… The boy was refused a job on grounds of religion, but now he has got an even bigger offer from Adani Group, and he is happy…” the party said in an editorial in its mouthpiece Saamana on Tuesday.
“Go ahead, Zeeshan…!” it added.
In view of these developments, the Sena wondered if India is truly a ‘secular’ country, but nobody has any answer to this.
“Use the Hindus only for votes and get the full support of the Muslims… Until now, this is considered as ‘secularism’ in India. Our view is the same… those Muslims who believe that India is their motherland and they are willing to sacrifice themselves for her, they belong to us… As the citizens of this country, they are entitled to all the rights and privileges,” the Sena said.
It pointed out that although it opposed reservations to the Muslims on religious or economic planks, it is equally against denying deserving Muslims jobs only on religious grounds.
“On one hand, we want the Muslims to emerge from the ills of illiteracy, and on other we deny an educated MBA like Khan a job because of his religion… This is contradictory,” the party said in the edit.
For the Gautam Adani-led Adani Group, which is considered close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, employing Khan has proved to be a golden opportunity, especially since the Prime Minister recently spoke about equality for all religions.
“There have been news reports that Adani Group’s assets have grown by 48 percent in recent years… Khan has now proved to be an asset for it in marketing terms…Adani Group has said it believes only in capability and not in caste-religion,” the Sena noted.
However, there are thousands of other such candidates awaiting an opportunity like this, but by employing Khan, Adani Group has proved its ‘secular credentials’ before the nation, the Sena said.
In contrast, in Kerala, ads solicit applications for jobs only from Christians, and in Maharashtra, a Marathi is not allowed to buy a flat… So will Adani Group give him a roof over his head, the Sena wondered, adding “there is no opportunity to flaunt its secular thinking in this case”.
Under such circumstances, Khan is more fortunate as the Adani Group stepped forward to erase the shameful blot, which must be appreciated. And perhaps, this is why the Hindus are considered a generous lot, it said.
“Now, Zeeshan… Go ahead! Our best wishes are with you… Carve your niche in the community struggling to make its mark in education and employment… This is our message to all youths like Zeeshan,” the Sena edit concluded.
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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