Feature
Oppression of Bihar set to end, says Modi
Patna: Bihar is set for ‘parivartan’ (change) and the 25 years of oppression will end on November 8, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared on Monday.
Addressing the first of the two election rallies scheduled for Monday in the state, Modi targeted Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his ally former chief minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad in Buxar district, about 133 km from here.
He said people would punish those who ruled Bihar for 25 years by oppression.
“Change will happen in Bihar. Zulm (oppression) of 25 years will end on November 8,” Modi said while describing the rally in Buxar as “parivartan ka mela”.
He urged people to use the elections as an opportunity to get rid of misrule of Nitish-Lalu. “Both Nitish and Lalu have been doing everything to defame me and abuse me on daily basis. There is a competition to paint me in bad colour.”
Modi said they (Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad) were not concerned with development, “their only agenda was to ensure my fall”.
He said that with only a few days left for the ongoing Bihar polls’ phase-3, Lalu and Nitish could throw as much mud as they wished, “the more muck you throw, the lotus (BJP’s election symbol) will bloom even better”.
“People do not want return of ‘jungle raj’ and bad governance.”
Modi also attacked the Congress for not being visible during the ongoing polls in Bihar.
“Congress is not in fight anywhere, it will be defeated from all 40 assembly seats, it is contesting as partner of the grand alliance along with JD-U and RJD,” he said.
Modi sought to know from Congress president Sonia Gandhi if her party was not responsible for the backwardness of Bihar after ruling the state for 35 years.
Modi said Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance would make Bihar a developed state. “We stand for development. And, the third round of staggered Bihar elections for 50 of the 243 assembly constituencies is due on Wednesday.”
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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