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PM Modi’s Pak visit ‘step in right direction’,says Mufti Muhammad Sayeed
Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed has called Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s surprise visit to Pakistan as a “right step in the right direction”.
“It is the right step in the right direction. The goodwill gesture by Modi will definitely break the ice in the relations between the two neighbours, a process started by the visit of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to Pakistan,” the chief minister said late on Friday.
Former chief minister and president of the National Conference (NC) Omar Abdullah also reacted to the development saying, “The re-engagement with Pakistan is a good step and a very welcome development. However, more than grand gestures, we need consistency”.
Senior separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani said he was always in the favour of good relations between the two countries, but added the same should happen by resolving the Kashmir issue.
“I am always in favour of good relations between India and Pakistan, but this can only happen if the human problem of the people of Jammu and Kashmir is resolved,” Geelani told reporters.
Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, Kashmir’s chief cleric and chairman of moderate group of separatist Hurriyat Conference was the first among the separatists to welcome the gesture.
“It is a positive move, a good step and we should welcome easing of tensions between the two countries, but the basic issue of Kashmir will have to be resolved if the two countries really want to move ahead in good neighbourly relations”, the Mirwaiz told some local reporters.
Muhammad Yasin Malik, chairman of the Pro-Azadi Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) has reacted cautiously to the development.
“Nobody wants to oppose peace between India and Pakistan…We welcome the gesture, but assert that such goodwill gestures would only remain cosmetic as long as the people of Jammu and Kashmir divided between India and Pakistan continue to stew in their own soup”, Malik said.
People in the state, however, see a ray of hope in this unexpected gesture by Modi.
“He has pleasantly surprised all of us. We have always believed Modi to be a right wing politician in India. He has done something no other Indian prime minister ever did in the past,” Abid Wani, 48, said here.
Several others also spelt a similar view and suggested more such actions be taken in order to ensure a cordial relationship between the two countries.
“Their anger may cost business to big people, but it costs lives to Kashmiris. I hope and pray the extra mile Modi has walked gets the needed response from Pakistan so that the future of our children is secured”, Professor Muzaffar Ahmad, 55, said.
Modi on Friday surprised everyone with his decision to visit Lahore to meet his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif on his way back from Kabul. Modi visited the ancestral home of Sharif and held talks with him.
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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