One winning ticket in huge 10,000 Cr lotto jackpot
Washington, Oct 24: A single winning ticket has been identified in a massive USD 1.5 billion Mega Millions US lottery jackpot, the second largest on record, organisers said Wednesday.
The winning ticket was bought in South Carolina, but the lucky winner has not yet been identified.
Mega Millions, which initially announced a global record USD 1.6 billion jackpot, later revised the figure down to USD 1.537 billion.
The new amount makes the prize the second largest, just shy of the USD 1.586 billion jackpot for a rival Powerball lottery in January 2016, which was shared between three winning tickets.
Regardless, it's the largest single winning ticket ever and it dwarfed the previous Mega Millions record, set in March 2012 at USD 656 million.
The six winning numbers drawn on Tuesday night were five, 28, 62, 65, 70 and another five as the special "gold Mega Ball." The massive jackpot had set off a lottery frenzy across America, with people lining up at convenience stores, supermarkets and liquor stores to buy a 2 ticket that gave them a roughly one in 300 million chance of winning.
"The moment we've been waiting for finally arrived, and we couldn't be more excited," said Gordon Medenica, lead director of the Mega Millions Group and director of Maryland Lottery and Gaming.
"This is truly a historic occasion."
The winner can take 878 million in a lump sum cash payment or be paid out in annuities over 30 years.
The jackpot ballooned because no one had won since July, when a group of office workers in California shared a USD 543 million prize.
The record 2016 Powerball jackpot was split three ways by ticket holders in California, Florida and Tennessee. Each took home USD 528.8 million.
In the latest Mega Millions draw, there were 36 second prizes worth USD 1 million each. They will be paid out to ticket holders who got the first five numbers right but not the Mega Ball.
Including the jackpot and lesser prizes, there were 15.75 million tickets Tuesday night that earned bettors at least the face value of the ticket.
Unlike in many other countries, US lottery winnings are taxable at the federal level, while some states also impose local taxes.
The jackpot now resets at USD 40 million for the next drawing on Friday.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Karnataka panel backs move to grant second official language status to Tulu
Mangaluru (PTI): A high-level committee constituted by the Karnataka government to study the framework adopted by Andhra Pradesh for recognising Urdu as a second official language has submitted its report, backing the state’s move to accord similar status to Tulu.
The six-member panel, headed by K M Gayatri, former Director of the Kannada and Culture Department, examined the procedures followed by the Andhra Pradesh government before granting second official language status to Urdu, officials said on Wednesday.
The committee undertook a field visit to the Andhra Pradesh Secretariat on January 19 and 20 and held consultations with senior officials to understand the legal provisions, administrative mechanisms, and implementation benchmarks involved, they said.
The panel also included Tharanatha Gatti Kapikad, president of the Karnataka Tulu Sahitya Academy, in an advisory capacity.
The report, along with a detailed note outlining Tulu’s historical, linguistic, and cultural significance, was submitted to J Manjunath, Secretary, Kannada and Culture Department, at Vikas Soudha here.
According to official sources, the study was aimed at gathering inputs to help Karnataka frame criteria and procedural guidelines if it decides to grant second official language status to Tulu.
Senior officials present at the submission included B S Manjunath Swami, Director of the Kannada and Culture Department; representatives of the Law Department and the Personnel and Administrative Reforms Department; and office-bearers of various state academies.
Tulu is predominantly spoken in the coastal districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi, and in parts of Kasaragod in neighbouring Kerala.
The demand to accord it second official language status in Karnataka has been raised by cultural organisations for several years.
