Feature
India’s economic growth will drive development in neighbours too: Modi
New Delhi: India’s economic growth will not be confined to bringing about development only in the country but it must also drive and bring benefit to its neighbours like Sri Lanka, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday.
In his video address during the joint inauguration of the renovated Durraiappah Stadium in Jaffna, Sri Lanka, Modi said: “India strongly believes that its economic growth must drive and bring benefit to its neighbours. Durraiappah Stadium embodies the spirit of our cooperation. Indeed, India’s support for Sri Lanka’s development is a promise of our friendship.”
Modi said the stadium was not just brick and mortar but a symbol of optimism and economic development.
Duraiappah Stadium, named in honour of a former mayor of Jaffna, the late Alfred Thambirajah Duraiappah, has been renovated by the Indian government at a cost of over Rs 7 crore ($1 million). Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena was present in the stadium at Jaffna for the inauguration.
Modi said India would like to see Sri Lanka as “an economically prosperous” country.
“A Sri Lanka where — unity and integrity; peace, harmony and security; and equal opportunity and dignity prevails throughout the country among all its people,” he said.
Prime Minister appreciated the performance of ‘Surya Namaskar’ on the occasion and said, “The ‘Surya Namaskar’, performed just a short while ago, has sent the message of holistic healthcare, harmonious and sustainable living with nature to the world”.
“In about seventy-two hours from now, the world would be celebrating the second anniversary of the International day of Yoga on 21 June. Sri Lanka was among the first supporters of the UN resolution on this subject in 2014,” he said, adding the Surya Namaskar performed in Jaffna on Saturday in a way marks the “start of the International day of Yoga with a curtain raiser from Jaffna, from this Durraiappah Stadium”.
“We could not have asked for a more fitting start and tribute to the International Day of Yoga,” Modi said and thanked Sri Lankan President Sirisena for the unique gesture.
“Durraiappah Stadium will stand as yet another symbol of our lasting friendship,” he said.
India will “walk side by side with Sri Lanka” as it charts its own path to progress and prosperity for all of its citizens, he said.
He further said New Delhi’s assistance to Colombo will be based on the “priorities” drawn by the Sri Lankan government and the cordial ties between two countries should not be “limited to the confines of our two governments” only.
“They (cordial relationship) reside in the rich contacts of our history, culture, language, art, and geography,” he said.
The renovated stadium has a seating capacity of 1,850. It will provide the necessary infrastructure to promote sports and recreational activities, and assist the overall development of the youth of the northern province in Sri Lanka.
The stadium has been in disuse since 1997.
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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