PM Narendra Modi lauds the Air Gun Surrender Abhiyan of Arunachal Pradesh to end hunting of wildlife
It turned out to be a special day for Mama Natung, the minister of Forest and Environment of Arunachal Pradesh, after Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised his initiative ‘Air Gun Surrender Abhiyan’ which is spinning a new hope of wildlife conservation.
Modi in his address to the nation in the 84th episode of his monthly radio programme ‘Mann Ki Baat’ on December 26, praised the people of Arunachal Pradesh for surrendering their air guns to save wildlife.
Narendra Modi said that Arunachal Pradesh has more than 500 species of birds. This includes some indigenous species which aren’t found anywhere else in the world. But now the number of birds in the forests of Arunachal Pradesh declined due to hunting.
Now to rectify the situation, an ‘air gun surrender campaign’ has been launched and people of all communities of Arunachal Pradesh have accepted it with open heart and they are participating in it.
‘Air Gun Surrender Abhiyan’ was launched in March this year in Arunachal Pradesh and according to PM Modi, so far 1600 air guns have been surrendered.
The initiative getting praise and a special mention by PM Modi left the Arunachal Pradesh minister excited.
Mama Natung thanked PM for praising the initiative and said, “acknowledging our wildlife conservation effort; Air gun Surrender Abhiyan in his Mann Ki Baat. It’s a big moral boost for us and could only be possible under our visionary chief minister Pema Khanduri.”
Arunachal Pradesh CM Prema Khandu said that PM encouraged people for their conservation effort by mentioning the same in his Mann ki Baat address.
In Arunachal Pradesh where hunting is a community practice, Mama Natung launched the campaign to win away people from hunting as the wildlife in the state was under threat. Arunachal Pradesh covers an area of 83,743 sq km, out of which 80 percent area is covered with forests where there are some 500 species of birds and animals. Ahead of the launching of the programme on March 17, the local administration, forest department, NGOs and community-based organizations launched an awareness drive.
When the programme was launched at Lumdung village in East Kameng district, as many as 46 air guns were surrendered and the government gave them appreciation letters. So far 2000 air guns have been surrendered.
Earlier hunting was a sessional activity but with the proliferation of air guns and rifles, found freely in markets, hunting posed a threat on the wildlife and often authorities found it difficult to enforce the Wildlife Protection Act.
Initially, people either opposed or remained reluctant to drop air guns and stop hunting but gradually they were convinced that the safety of wildlife was equally important for them. Hence in no time, the campaign gained momentum and people are coming forward to save birds.
“We need to change our mindset of looking at birds and animals only as a source of meat, as hunting isn’t a necessity in today’s date. We also need to understand the important role that wildlife plays in balancing the environment,” minister Natung had said at an ‘Air Gun Surrender Abhiyan’ programme in Yingkiong last week. 285 locals of the Upper Siang district had surrendered their airguns on the day.
