Feature
India to help Sri Lanka in IT sector, says Sushma Swaraj
Colombo: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who is on a two- day visit to Sri Lanka, stated that India is all set to help Sri Lanka in the information technology (IT) sector and establish an IT park in this island nation.
“One of the issues that I discussed with (Sri Lankan Foreign) Minister (Mangala) Samaraweera was the importance of information technology for the development of both our countries, and to take advantage of the opportunities that the new digital world offers,” Sushma Swaraj said while inaugurating a “Rise of Digital India” exhibition as part of “Sangam – a confluence of cultures”, a festival of India in Sri Lanka 2015-16.
The exhibition showcases the rise of the computing sector and digital technologies in India which is impacting the everyday lives of people in a positive manner.
“We felt that there are enormous opportunities of cooperation between the two countries in the field of information and digital technologies,” Sushma Swaraj said.
“India has made significant progress in the information technology sector and I conveyed our readiness to assist Sri Lanka in this sector.”
The external affairs minister said that India was ready to set up an IT park in Sri Lanka “that could attract investments in this important sector, and both sides agreed to explore this issue further”.
She said the “Digital India” campaign launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was at the heart of the nation’s development strategy.
“The ‘Digital India’ initiative is one of the key measures to make government transparent, responsive and citizen friendly,” Sushma Sawaraj said.
“The objective is to create a digitally empowered society and infuse technology into government, healthcare and education,” she said.
According to her, India is weaving modern technologies with its immense civilisational strengths.
“From creating infrastructure to services, from manufacture of products to human resource development, from enabling citizens to promoting digital literacy, ‘Digital India’ aims to impact all aspects of life in India,” Sushma Swaraj said.
She also referred to India’s “Smart Cities” project with Bhubaneswar in Odisha leading the list “where information and communication technologies will be used to enhance quality, performance and interactivity of urban services, to reduce costs and resource consumption, and to improve contact between citizens and government”.
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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