Indians For Guns

LUCKNOW: In a bid to boost wheat procurement and meet target, authorities in the Barabanki district of Uttar Pradesh have decided to go off the beaten track.

The district administration in Barabanki, around 30 km from the state capital, has made it mandatory for those applying for arms licences to sell at least 50 quintals of wheat at government purchase centres in the district. Applicants have been asked to enclose a receipt given from a purchase centres along with their applications. Without the receipt, their applications will not be considered.

To disseminate the information, a notice has been put on the doors on the district collectorate office where applications for arms licences are to be submitted.

The new directive has put people without farm lands in a tight spot as they are finding it extremely difficult to meet the criteria. However, the government officials believe that it will boost participation of farmers in wheat procurement.

According to officials, the district administration receives a large number of applications for arms licences every month. The Uttar Pradesh government has set up 4,656 purchase centres to meet this year's wheat procurement target of 42 MT.

Chief minister Akhilesh Yadav has directed the chief secretary to conduct fortnightly review of wheat purchase and ensure better coordination among different departments so that farmers do not face any difficulty in selling their produce at the purchase centres. Despite government's efforts, procurement has not picked up. Till last week, only 25,000 tonnes of wheat were procured.

The Madhya Pradesh government took up the gun to shoot down population explosion in 2008. In April, the Shivpuri district administration offered gun licence for volunteers of vasectomy. Men queued up to get sterilised. In 2007, just eight men came forward for the surgical procedure in return of an incentive of Rs 1,100. But gun revolutionised vasectomy in the district-over 250 men turned up until December 2008. Guns are both a necessity and a status symbol in the district and it is not hard to find a farmer riding an old bicycle, with a gun slung over his shoulder. Reports say there are over 11,000 licensed guns in Shivpuri district, whereas neighbouring Bhind and Morena have 19,000 and 15,000 licences, respectively.
Guns 'empower' women, too. Before May 2008, the women of Rewa district of Madhya Pradesh were "broomstick wielders". But today, they are recognised as gun-toters. The district administration licensed 19 women with guns. The motive was to boost their confidence and social status

Pay power dues or lose gun licence
Bhopal: The administration in Madhya Pradesh's Gwalior-Chambal region has decided to cancel the gun licences of those who have large amounts of power dues outstanding, an official said on Friday.

"People of Chambal consider guns as their pride. Loss of gun is considered as loss of respect. The decision has been taken to recover huge power dues," the official said.

The decision was taken at a meeting of Gwalior Division Commissioner Komal Singh with the officials of the Central Region Power Distribution Company.

Gwalior Collector Akash Tripathi was asked to submit a list of people possessing gun licences in the district.

"Yes, the decision to cancel gun licences of those having huge outstandings of power dues was taken at a meeting over a month ago. The civic polls were announced which facilitated the depositing of arms with the administration.

So now we have thought not to release the arms until the owners show No Objection Certificate from the power company. Power dues in Gwalior district alone are more than Rs.1.70 crore," Tripathi said.


"There are more than 25,000 gun licences in Gwalior, while there are over 40,000 in Morena and Bhind and 10,000 each in Shivpuri and Sheopur districts," another official said.