Arunachal: 38 people surrender air guns in Lohit district

As many as 38 people surrendered their air guns during an event organised at Tezu, the district headquarters town of Lohit district in Arunachal Pradesh. 

The air gun surrender campaign is an initiative of the state's Environment and Forest Department to dissuade wildlife hunting and create awareness of the ill effects of killing wildlife. 

Speaking on the occasion, state Environment and Forest minister Mama Natung, who spearheaded the abhiyan, emphasised on the importance of biodiversity protection in Arunachal Pradesh, home to one of the largest forest covers. 

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Natung also voiced concern over the rapid decline of wildlife due to unchecked hunting, urging active public participation and awareness campaigns to instil the idea of biodiversity protection. 

The initiative got a major boost when it featured in the 84th edition of the 'Mann Ki Baat' programme of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 26, 2021, where the PM appreciated the effort of the state government. 

The airgun surrender initiative had garnered international recognition, with UNESCO recently acknowledging the efforts of the Arunachal Pradesh government in the conservation of wildlife. Under this initiative, people were invited to voluntarily surrender their air guns and licensed guns to stop the use of these guns to kill birds and other wild animals. 

The programme was officially launched on March 17, 2021, at Lumdung in East Kameng district wherein 46 air guns were surrendered and Lumdung was declared the first air gun-free village of the state. So far, more than 2,400 air guns and 9 licensed guns have been surrendered by the people of the state.