Feature
Jat reservation protest: Locals shows black flags to CM Khattar in Rohtak
Rohtak/Chandigarh: Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, who visited Jat dominated Rohtak district today, faced anger from locals and traders of the town, who raised slogans like “Haryana Police murdabad” to protest against the state police over its failure of not controlling the violence.
Khattar was shown black flags by a section of traders and residents who also questioned him on his government’s failure to deal with the violent Jat agitation.
The chief minister arrived in Rohitak, which saw the maximum violence and damage during the nine-day agitation, on Tuesday by helicopter as most areas of Haryana are still limping to normalcy.
“There are some forces behind the recent incidents. We will get it probed,” Khattar said, addressing people in Rohtak. He left for Delhi after a while.
The chief minister said that the role of officers, especially from the police, would be probed and strict action taken if they were found wanting in carrying out their duties during the agitation.
Khattar said the role of “conspirators” behind the mindless violence would be probed.
“We will fully compensate the losses of people who have suffered,” Khattar told the traders whose shops were looted and torched by the rioters.
Elsewhere, officials said traffic had been restored on the Delhi-Ambala national highway No. 1 (NH-1).
Three people were killed when Jat protesters blocked the highway on Monday, forcing security forces to open fire on them.
Traffic was also restored on the Delhi-Hisar NH-10, especially near Sampla town, police said.
Curfew was relaxed in Rohtak town and some other places.
Hisar and Kaithal districts remained tense after members of Jat and non-Jat communities headed for a clash. Army and paramilitary forces remained on high alert in both districts.
Despite the BJP promising reservation for the Jat community in Haryana and assuring that a bill will be brought in the next session of Haryana assembly, Jats have not ended their agitation at some places in Rohtak, Hisar, Sonipat and Jhajjar districts.
The army and paramilitary forces remained stationed in the violence-hit districts.
The violence led to 19 deaths, including three people killed in firing by security forces on rioters blocking the NH-1 in Sonipat district on Monday.
Over 200 people have been injured in the frenzy that has ravaged the state bordering Delhi. The loss to property is estimated to be in hundreds of crores.
The Jat community is demanding reservation under the OBC category in government jobs and educational institutions.
The Haryana government has decided to give full compensation for the damage caused to private property, residential or commercial.
It has also decided to give an ex-gratia of Rs.10 lakh to the next of kin of those innocent people killed in the agitation and employment to a member of the family of the deceased.
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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