Feature
Opposition not prepared for discussion, says Jaitley
New Delhi: Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Wednesday said the opposition was not prepared for a discussion in parliament and was changing stance on the issues raised by it.
“Yesterday (Tuesday), the opposition wanted a discussion on the issue and we conceded, but the opposition was not ready. Today (Wednesday), they have changed their stance and wanted a probe…those who violated law have to be investigated like in the 2G and coal scam. We asked them to inform which law has been broken, and under what provision they have been violated. But no one has been able to point out which provision of law has been violated,” Jaitley told reporters outside parliament.
“Sushma ji wanted to put forward her arguments in parliament, but the opposition is not willing to listen. The opposition is not prepared and equipped with facts to hold a discussion,” the minister said.
The opposition is demanding the resignation of External Affairs Minsiter Sushma Swaraj and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje over the Lalit Modi issue while Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouchan is under attack for the Vyapam scam.
On the Goods and Service Tax (GST) Bill, Jaitley said the Congress was dissenting on their own bill. “On GST, we want this historic legislation for the whole country and want it to be discussed in the house.”
“In 2006, the proposal was made and UPA introduced it after discussions. Today, the Congress has given a separate dissent note on the GST; it is dissent against their own bill,” said Jaitley.
Communist Party of India-Marxist general secretary Sitaram Yechury, who was involved in a heated debate with Arun Jailtey in the Rajya Sabha, later said: “We are demanding investigation into the corruption cases. Till the probe is on, the ministers should demit office. A precedent was set by them and the same yardstick applies to them as well,” 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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