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Marked pollution drop this New Year: Delhi government
New Delhi:After the capital city opted for a test run of the odd-even scheme, pollution levels on New Year day showed a “marked” decrease compared with the previous year, the Delhi government said on Saturday.
The ambient air data collected by mobile dust samplers on January 1 showed that the PM 2.5 (particulate matter suspended in air with diameter less than 2.5 microns) levels ranged between 121-226 at all 24 locations, a government statement said.
The mobile units of Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) collected this data, after monitoring each of the 24 locations for 20 minutes each.
The PM 2.5 levels at the corresponding time on January 1, 2015, hovered around 250 across the national capital, the government said, adding “air pollution levels within Delhi city are showing a decreasing trend”.
PM 2.5 are the particulate matter capable of causing harm to human respiration, if present above permissible levels. DPCC prescribes 60 units of PM 2.5 levels as the standard level.
Areas like Rohtas Nagar, Patparganj and Kondli bordering Uttar Pradesh showed higher air pollution levels compared with areas towards central Delhi, the government said.
“It shows that the National Capital Region (NCR) towns need to take effective steps to curb air pollution,” it said.
An analysis of the DPCC data over the past 24 hours however revealed that pollution on New Year day dropped as the day proceeded, but rose steeply from the evening onwards.
The PM 2.5 levels at DPCC’s Anand Vihar monitoring station recorded a staggering 480 at 7 p.m. on January 1, as against 238 units at 11.30 a.m.
Environmental experts said pollution levels remained high due to high concentration of pollutants close to ground level in winter season, despite enforcement of an odd-even scheme.
“Pollutants in the air stay close to the ground in winters. This could be one of the reasons for high pollution. Also, fireworks on New Year and high vehicular movement in the early hours of New Year impacted pollution levels,” said Vikrant Tongad, an environmentalist working with Social Action for Forest and Environment.
The Air Quality Index (AQI) of the national capital, as measured by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), stood at a “very poor” level of 384.
At this level, respiratory illness due to prolonged exposure is possible, the CPCB 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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