Latest news with #SewaSetu
Time of India
3 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Assam's special arms licence scheme: A strategic fusion of law, identity & security
Guwahati: Assam's special arms licence scheme for indigenous residents is not a new law, but a targeted administrative restructuring of the existing licensing process under the Indian Arms Act, 1959 and Arms Rules, 2016. The scheme restricted to indigenous and Indian citizens residing in "vulnerable and remote" areas, especially where demographic shifts have reduced them to minorities, blends law and governance, making it one of the most politically nuanced uses of the Arms Act in recent memory. Crucially, the scheme is set to benefit populations who feel marginalised or at risk due to recent moves on illegal infiltration and land rights — core themes that have animated much of Assam's contemporary politics. Unlike the national policy, which is threat-based or profession-based, Assam's scheme is demography-driven. Assam has explicitly linked the scheme to concerns over "demographic invasion", where original inhabitants are being outnumbered or displaced. CM Himanta Biswa Sarma's scheme does not alter the legal foundation of arms licencing in India. Instead, it reinterprets and repurposes Form III of the national arms license policy to address regional vulnerabilities and identity politics. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like American Investor Warren Buffett Recommends: 5 Books For Turning Your Life Around Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo By anchoring the scheme in existing law, but tailoring its execution to indigenous anxieties, Sarma has created a politically potent tool that blends security policy with cultural preservation. The national policy is accessed through the centralised National Database of Arms Licenses-Arms License Issuance System (NDAL-ALIS) portal with uniform procedures, the Assam scheme through Sewa Setu portal is tailored for indigenous applicants, with simplified access and district-level verification. The use of the Sewa Setu portal, district-level scrutiny, and inclusion of intelligence verification marks a significant operational shift from the standard NDAL process. It reflects a state-specific customisation of a central framework. Assam, a state long marked by its ethnic diversity and complex demographic history, faces a pronounced demographic transformation. According to the 2011 Census, Muslims constitute 34% of the state's population, with approximately 31% classified as migrants and only 3% being indigenous Assamese Muslims. Sarma has repeatedly warned of the demographic "invasion", highlighting that native Assamese and Hindus are at risk of becoming a minority within the next decade if current trends continue. Districts such as Dhubri, Morigaon, Barpeta, Nagaon, and South Salmara-Mankachar have experienced marked changes, with indigenous communities increasingly feeling insecure and reduced to minorities in their ancestral lands. The arms licence initiative also appears as a part of a broader BJP playbook — combining targeted welfare, muscular nationalism, and appeals to local identity. The scheme taps directly into the insecurities of indigenous populations, legitimising the demand for self-defence as a political right, while projecting the govt as a defender of "native" interests. Politically, the move plays well among Assam's rural frontier populations — the sites of real and perceived contestation over land, identity, and citizenship. Strategically, it reinforces the message that the BJP, under Sarma's leadership, stands as a bulwark against demographic dilution, illegal immigration, and insecurity. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Happy Independence Day wishes , messages , and quotes !
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
All about Assam's new arms license portal for ‘indigenous citizens' in ‘vulnerable areas'
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday announced the launch of an online portal through which 'indigenous citizens' living in 'vulnerable and remote areas' can apply for arms licenses. Here's all you need to know. In May, the Assam cabinet had approved a 'Special Scheme for Grant of Arms Licenses to Original Inhabitants and Indigenous Indian Citizens in Vulnerable and Remote Areas of Assam' with the rationale that possession of firearms would enable 'indigenous citizens' to protect themselves from 'demographic and security challenges.' On Thursday, during the launch of the new portal, Sarma reiterated the government's rationale to ease the access to arms in certain parts of the state. 'If I live near the India-Bangladesh border or an inter-state boundary area, or I live in a vulnerable area where my community's population is very small…X community is 90-95% of the population and Y is 5%, and culturally, economically, historically, the communities have had tensions. Then a small incident can also trigger a situation where the 95% community can attack the 5% community, burn their houses, and various incidents can happen. 'A police station will have 6-12 constables for reinforcements to come from the district headquarters, it can take 2-3 hours. In those 2-3 hours, I will have to defend myself. And if people know that this person or house possesses a firearm, that itself will act as a deterrent,' he said. He called the new portal an effort to make citizens 'first responders' in law-and-order situations in remote areas. Who all are eligible to apply for this? The eligibility criteria for the grant of licenses through this portal are that the applicant must be 'an indigenous citizen from Assam,' must be at least 21 years old, must reside in a 'vulnerable and remote area,' must not have a criminal background or pending cases, must be 'physically and mentally fit,' and must have a training certificate under the Arms Rules, 2016. On the portal, which is part of the Assam government's citizen digital services portal Sewa Setu, applicants need to attest to an eligibility declaration that they are an 'original inhabitant' and that 'I reside in a vulnerable or remote area and genuinely perceive a threat to my life and safety due to regional vulnerabilities.' The portal requires an applicant to specify their identity, providing the broad headings of Scheduled Tribe (Plain), Scheduled Tribe (Hill), Scheduled Caste, Hill Tribes in Plains, Plain Tribe in Hills, Other Backward Classes or Others, and lists the different communities under each heading. Among other things, they also need to justify their 'need for a licence.' What does the process entail? Applicants will need to attest that they have no criminal background or pending case against them, and that they have a safe space to store a firearm. Among the documents they will need to provide digitally are proof of date of birth, identity, residence and caste certificates, firearms training certificate, an undertaking on safe use and storage of arms, medical certificates about their mental health and physical fitness, and Aadhaar card. Sarma said that the government in various districts will create a list of 'accredited' people who can provide training to applicants, giving instances of retired police officers and Army officers. An arms licence issued through this process will be valid for a period of five years. The acquisition of arms in India is governed by Arms Rules, 2016 framed under the Arms Act, 1959. 'No person shall acquire, have in his possession, or carry any firearm or ammunition unless he holds in his behalf a licence issued in accordance with the provisions of this Act and the rules made thereunder,' the 1959 Act says. Schedule I of the Arms Rules provides a list of prohibited, restricted and permitted arms and ammunition. Those in the prohibited and restricted categories are difficult, if not impossible, to acquire legally, and licenses in for such arms and ammunition are directly governed by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. Licenses for arms and ammunition in the permissible category, however, are governed by State governments. As such, rules for obtaining such arms can differ widely from state to state, and State governments have the authority to reframe license requirements as long as their rules do not run afoul of the Centre's Arms Rules.
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Assam launches scheme for indigenous people in ‘vulnerable areas' to get arms licence
The Bharatiya Janata Party-led government in Assam on Thursday launched a digital portal to allow indigenous people of the state, residing in 'vulnerable or remote areas', to apply for and secure arms licences easily for self-defence. Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. (ANI) 'The new move will allow indigenous and permanent residents of the state residing in vulnerable, remote and border areas, who face insecurity to their lives due to various threats, to apply and get arms licence online without visiting government offices,' chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma stated while launching the scheme in Guwahati. The state cabinet had approved the initiative on May 28. While earlier it was stated that the scheme would be applicable in Muslim majority districts and those sharing the border with Bangladesh, the CM on Thursday said it is a 'religious-neutral objective' to help indigenous residents, original inhabitants and people residing in India continuously for at least three generations. He added that the move would allow vulnerable residents to act as first responders in case of threats, within the limits of legal provisions, before police and security personnel can reach those remote and border locations. Sarma clarified that while the government will provide the licence, it would not play a role in applicants securing the arms and ammunition. 'For example, an area has a history of tension and clashes between two communities, one of which comprises around 90-95 percent of the population and another which is just 5-10 percent. If the majority community attacks the minority one, having arms will allow the smaller population to secure themselves before police teams reach from the nearby police station or district headquarters,' the CM said. Sarma said that there would be thorough scrutiny of the applicants before the police and district officials approve the licences and only those who qualify all the set parameters will get them. 'This is not a move to create sensationalism. But it is a routine exercise of government power under constitutional and legal provisions. Earlier licences were given to vulnerable persons, now we are giving them to people residing in vulnerable areas,' he said. Sarma stated that certain indigenous communities residing in some places have started feeling threatened due to the rapid rise in population of 'people from other faiths' over decades and reducing the original inhabitants to a minority. Officials informed that applicants to the scheme will have to be above 21 years of age, have proof of being an indigenous or original inhabitant of the state, permanent resident of a vulnerable location, have no criminal record, be mentally and physically sound and give an undertaking to get arms training and use their weapons responsibly. Applications can be submitted in the Sewa Setu website of the state government and once approved, the licence will be valid for a period of five years, they added.
