Feature
PM lays foundation for Ambedkar memorial, Shiv Sena boycotts event
Mumbai: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday laid here the foundation stone of the proposed world-class memorial for Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, the chief architect of Indian Constitution amid a boycott by Shiv Sena, its ally both in the state and the central government.
Modi, who arrived here on a half-day visit, visited the Chaityabhoomi in Dadar, where Ambedkar was cremated and paid homage to the great Dalit leader.
Later, he went to the Indu Mills Compound in the adjacent complex and completed the foundation- laying ceremony for the Ambedkar Memorial proposed to be constructed there at a cost of over Rs.4 billion on the 12.5 acres plot.
Modi was accompanied by Maharashtra Governor C. V. Rao, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, state BJP president Raosaheb Danve, Ambedkar’s grandson Dr. Prakash Ambedkar, leading of most Dalit political parties and other dignitaries.
Conspicuous by their absence were Shiv Sena leaders starting from party president Uddhav Thackeray to city Mayor Snehal Ambekar following a decision to boycott Modi’s functions in the city on Sunday.
The opposition Congress and Nationalist Congress Party also criticized Fadnavis for “converting a national function” into a party function and not inviting other party leaders for the event.
“We welcome the foundation stone laying ceremony of Ambedkar Memorial, the project initiated by the Congress-NCP government. We regret Maharashtra government’s attempts to politicize it by portraying it as a BJP function,” said senior state Congress leader and legislator Sanjay Dutt.
“Fadnavis is a man with small heart. He should have personally invited NCP president Sharad Pawar who had championed the cause of Indu Mills. It was the NCP which had demanded that Ambedkar Memorial should be set up there,” NCP spokesperson Mahesh Tapase said in a statement.
Mumbai Congress president Sanjay Nirupam thanked Modi for “carrying forward” the party’s project to make the world-class Ambedkar Memorial.
Referring to the boycott by hiv Sena, Nirupam tweeted: “Complete breakdown in Maharashtra ruling alliance – they hate each other like ‘sautan’ (mistress).”
Most banners and hoardings on the function in different parts of the city blacked out the Shiv Sena or other parties with the focus on BJP national and state leaders.
According to plans, the Ambedkar Memorial will have am over 100 feet tall statue of Ambedkar, a museum, a library and research centre and other facilities for tourists.
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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