Unique Identification Number (UIN) to be generated for all arms licensees in Punjab to keep a check on misuse of arms

Unique Identification Number (UIN) will be generated for all arms licensees in Punjab by the licensing authorities in all the districts, with a view to keep a check on misuse of arms and ammunition.

Director State Bureau of Investigation (BoI) Parbodh Kumar said this during a special technical workshop at Patiala with licensing authorities and district police chiefs, an official spokesman said on Saturday.

The workshop was attended by all SSPs and DCs of Patiala zone, DIGs of Patiala and Ropar ranges and IG zone Patiala.

Addressing the officers Kumar informed that the Home ministry has notified in Rule 11 of the Arms Rules, 2016 for generation of Unique Identification Number (UIN) for all arms licensees in National Database of Arms License-Arms License Issuance (NDAL-ALIS) system developed by National Informatics Center (NIC) with the objective to check proliferation and misuse of arms and ammunition.

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He said DGP Suresh Arora has decided to conduct state level technical workshops for the concerned licensing authorities and district police chiefs to apprise them of the technical aspects of the various provisions of the Arms Act to meet the objectives.

He further said that such proliferation was a serious challenge to the internal security of the country and the proposed UIN would create and update a dynamic central database of the arms licenses issued across the country.

Kumar also informed that Punjab has the highest number of arms license holders in the country.

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"Being a border state and having faced black days of terrorism, checking licit and illicit firearms within the state was a priority area for the state government to ensure peace, harmony and law and order for the citizens at large", he added.