Assam to give arms licences to ‘indigenous citizens’ in ‘vulnerable’ areas: CM Himanta Biswa Sarma
Guwahati: The Assam government announced that it has approved a scheme to issue arms licences to “indigenous people” residing in areas where their population is in the minority.
During a press conference following a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma explained that the scheme aims to provide indigenous communities with the means to defend themselves against threats from hostile quarters. “We announce the special schemes for grant of arms licences to original inhabitants and indigenous Indian citizens in vulnerable and remote areas of Assam,” he said.
The Chief Minister emphasised that the government would encourage indigenous people to apply for these licenses to bolster their personal security.
Sarma identified several districts as particularly vulnerable, including Dhubri, Morigaon, Nagaon, Barpeta, and South Salmara. Bengali-origin Muslims account for the majority in these areas.
According to Sarma, these communities live in fear and often “have to confront the question of their security”. He added that after the incidents in Bangladesh, they “might face attacks from the Bangladesh side or in their villages”.
This move, Sarma insisted, is a significant step forward, addressing long-standing demands from the people living in Assam’s more remote and vulnerable areas.
The announcement, however, has sparked criticism from certain quarters. Harekrishna Deka, former Director General of Police of Assam, expressed concern regarding the scheme. He questioned the logic behind the decision, pointing out that the authorities should focus on maintaining law and order if there were genuine security concerns.
“I do not understand the logic. Vulnerable from what? Were they not vulnerable earlier,” Scroll quoted Deka as saying. He added that “the government is duty-bound to maintain security” and giving arms licenses to vulnerable residents was not a solution to security threats.
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Cong takes swipe at PM over India not being part of US-led 'Pax Silica' grouping
New Delh (PTI) The Congress on Saturday said it is perhaps not very surprising that India is not part of a US-led strategic initiative to build a secure silicon supply chain, given the "sharp downturn" in the Trump-Modi ties, and asserted that it would have been to "our advantage if we had been part of this group".
Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the news of India not being part of the group comes after the PM had enthusiastically posted on social media about a telephone call with his "once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC".
In a lengthy post on X, Ramesh said, "According to some news reports, the US has excluded India from a nine-nation initiative it has launched to reduce Chinese control on high-tech supply chains. The agreement is called Pax Silica, clearly as a counter to Pax Sinica. The nations included (for the moment at least) are the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia."
"Given the sharp downturn in the Trump-Modi ties since May 10th, 2025, it is perhaps not very surprising that India has not been included. Undoubtedly, it would have been to our advantage if we had been part of this group."
"This news comes a day after the PM had enthusiastically posted on his telephone call with his once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC," the Congress leader asserted.
The new US-led strategic initiative, rooted in deep cooperation with trusted allies, has been launched to build a secure and innovation-driven silicon supply chain.
According to the US State Department, the initiative called 'Pax Silica' aims to reduce coercive dependencies, protect the materials and capabilities foundational to artificial intelligence (AI), and ensure aligned nations can develop and deploy transformative technologies at scale.
The initiative includes Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia. With the exception of India, all other QUAD countries -- Japan, Australia and the US -- are part of the new initiative.
New Delhi will host the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 on February 19-20, focusing on the principles of 'People, Planet, and Progress'. The summit, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the France AI Action Summit, will be the first-ever global AI summit hosted in the Global South.
Prime Minister Modi and US President Trump on Thursday discussed ways to sustain momentum in the bilateral economic partnership in a phone conversation amid signs of the two sides inching closer to firming up a much-awaited trade deal.
The phone call between the two leaders came on a day Indian and American negotiators concluded two-day talks on the proposed bilateral trade agreement that is expected to provide relief to India from the Trump administration's whopping 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods.
In a social media post, Modi had described the conversation as "warm and engaging".
"We reviewed the progress in our bilateral relations and discussed regional and international developments. India and the US will continue to work together for global peace, stability and prosperity," Modi had said without making any reference to trade ties.
