Feature
Modi connects with Indian diaspora in Ireland, promises more visits
Dublin: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday connected with a rapturous Indian diaspora in Dublin, promising more prime ministerial visits to Ireland in future.
Modi, who is on a day-long visit to Ireland, in his address to a crowded reception by the Indian diaspora apologised for not being able to give the Indian-origin people more time.
Taking a dig at previous governments for not having visited Ireland earlier, Modi said “There are many who would remember that sometime (in the distant past) an Indian prime minister came to Ireland” evoking laughter from the rapturous crowd.
Modi’s visit is the first prime ministerial visit in 59 years.
In a veiled dig at previous Congress-led governments, he said that every year when Indian dignitaries fly to the US, they have to fly via Ireland, implying that earlier the leaders did not bother to visit the country.
“When people have to go from Delhi to New York, they have to fly this way. But your love for me drew me here, and pulled me down from the sky,” he said to loud cries of “Modi, Modi”.
Modi said he spoke at length with Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny and had a very good meeting and there were many areas of convergence between the two sides.
“I think Ireland-India relations should be mere stronger,” he said.
Modi said that in 2016, when Ireland celebrates the centenary of its independence, India would also participate in the celebrations.
Modi congratulated the Irish children who recited Sanskrit shlokas in his welcome.
In another veiled dig at the opposition, Modi said “I congratulate the children for reciting Sanskrit shlokas. In Ireland, we can do it, but in India if we did this, then so many questions would be raised on secularism issues”, evoking loud laughter.
He said that “now there is a change”, and that people across the world have accepted yoga as a way to healthcare.
“The entire world is following yoga – for holistic healthcare, preventive health care. Now yoga is connected to wellness too.”
On India’s growing stature, Modi said countries were now increasingly paying attention to India.
In another jibe at previous governments, he said that earlier people while referring to BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) would talk of “B,R,C and S, as the ‘I’ (India) had fallen off the map,” he said, evoking titters among the gathering.
Modi said that now the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund were saying that “in BRICS, if there is any one strong factor it is I (India).”
He said all the rating agencies were saying that India is the fastest growing economy in the world, and “if this trend continues, then in another 30 years, there will be no sign of poverty (in India)”.
Modi said India will be able to meet the challenge of keeping the growth rate high, thanks to the strength of its demography of 65 percent of the population aged below 35 years.
He apologised for not having more time to spend with the diaspora.
He later posed for pictures with some of the diaspora members.
Connecting with India’s diaspora is a major focus of Modi’s trips abroad. Ireland has a 26,000-strong Indian community.
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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