Patna: In a significant move ahead of the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections, the state government has decided to expedite the issuance of arms licenses to public representatives associated with the Panchayati Raj system. This includes Zila Parishad presidents, vice presidents, mukhiyas, and sarpanches across all districts of the state.
Acting on the directions of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the Home Department has issued instructions to all District Magistrates (DM) and Superintendents of Police (SP) to process arms license applications from Panchayat representatives on a priority basis and within a fixed time frame. An official communication in this regard was issued by Manoj Kumar Sinha, Under Secretary of the Home Department.
“There are clear directions to ensure timely execution of arms license applications submitted by elected public representatives of Panchayati Raj institutions and Gram Kachharis as per the provisions of the Arms Rules, 2016,” said Arvind Kumar Chaudhary, Additional Chief Secretary of the Home Department.
Currently, Bihar has approximately 2.5 lakh public representatives under the Panchayati Raj framework. Many of them have long been demanding arms licenses, citing security concerns. The issue has been raised multiple times in the state assembly as well.
Following Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s recent statement supporting these demands, the Panchayati Raj Department had written to the Home Department on June 18 seeking necessary action. Responding to this, the Home Department has now formally authorized the district administrations to act on pending and new applications from Panchayat-level elected representatives.
The licenses are to be processed strictly in line with legal provisions, ensuring that each case is handled as per eligibility norms under the Arms Rules, 2016.
