The Bihar government has asked all district magistrates to upload applications of pending 8,556 arms licences on the National Database of Arms Licences-Arms Licence Issuance System (NDALALIS), a portal developed by the Union ministry of home affairs (MHA), at the earliest for further processing them in the electronic format.

In a letter sent to all district magistrates on Tuesday, the Bihar home department said: “According to Rule 16 of Arms Rules, 2016, the licensing authority, while granting or renewing a licence or at the time of providing any allied service to any licensee under these rules, shall ensure that the data of the transaction approved by him, is simultaneously updated in the electronic format on the NDAL-ALIS system under its login ID”.

All individual arms licences which are not uploaded on the NDAL-ALIS portal will be considered invalid. The home department in its letter to DMs has given reference to MHA’s letters (dated January 18, 2023, and March 3, 2022).

“According to NDAL-ALIS portal report, 8,556 arms licences applications are pending on MHA’s portal as on January 18, 2023 for further processing,” said the MHA letter sent to the state home department on January 18, 2023.

“It has been observed that renewal of services along with other services are not being processed/ uploaded on the portal. As a result, many arms licences expired which are yet to be renewed on the ‘ALIS’ portal by the licensing authorities in your state,” said the MHA letter dated March 3, 2022.

The letter also mentioned that 66,578 arms licences had expired by that time in Bihar as authorities had failed to upload applications on the national portal.

Dinesh Kumar Rai, joint secretary of the home department, told PTI on Wednesday: “Yes, the department has sent a letter to all DMs requesting them to upload applications of pending arms licences on the NDAL-ALIS at the earliest.”