Indigenous citizens can apply online for arms licences from 1st week of August: CM
The govt is launching an online portal to facilitate applications under a special government scheme, Sarma added;
A file image of CM Himanta Bbiswa Sarma. (Photo:@himantabiswa/X
Guwahati, July 22: Indigenous people residing in “vulnerable” and remote areas of Assam will be able to apply for arms licences starting the first week of August, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced on Monday.
Speaking to the press on the sidelines of an event at the Garukhuti Agricultural Project in Sipajhar, Sarma said an online portal would be launched to facilitate applications under a special government scheme.
“We’ll be opening the portal for applications by the first week of August, and indigenous people will be able to apply online,” he said, adding that only individuals—not organisations—would be eligible under the scheme.
The Chief Minister said that local MLA Padma Hazarika would be able to recommend around 10 to 12 farmers from Garukhuti for the first batch of applications.
The decision to issue arms licences to indigenous residents was first announced in May this year, following a state cabinet meeting.
The scheme, Sarma had stated, is aimed at empowering indigenous communities in districts facing security challenges due to cross-border infiltration.
“Let me be clear, the government is not buying guns for anyone. We are only issuing licences to those who meet the eligibility criteria,” Sarma had said then.
Among the districts identified for the rollout are Dhubri, Nagaon, Morigaon, Barpeta, South Salmara, and Goalpara. Applications will be processed under strict verification norms, the government said.
Taking a dig at the Congress during Monday’s press interaction, Sarma claimed there was “no controversy” surrounding the Gorukhuti Agricultural Project “except that we evicted a huge vote bank of Congress from this area.”
“In the last four years, we have retransformed Sipajhar into an indigenous constituency. Infiltration in Assam is a 100-year-old problem—one Himanta Biswa Sarma cannot correct in four years. But we have definitely infused some confidence into a community on the brink of losing hope,” he added.