In Gwalior, gau bhakti hastaken a rather unusual turn. Those applying for arms licence must donate 10blankets to cows or serve for three days in a gaushala (cow shelter), theGwalior administration has mandated.
The blanket clause for licence seekers came into effect last week.
¡°But in a region where owning a gun is considered as important asroti-kapda-makaan, or more, many were finding it difficult to fork out themoney for 10 blankets along with the licence fee and the cost of the gun,¡± saysa report by The Times of India.
The administration then tweaked the clause. Those who could not afford tothe blankets could serve in a gaushala. This isn¡¯t the first such initiative.Sometime ago, licence-seekers had to plant saplings as part of the applicationprocess.
¡°Within a week, we have received 1,700 blankets as 170 people haveapplied for gun licences. We have already distributed 1,000 of these blanketsin gaushalas and some among to the homeless,¡± Gwalior collector AnuragChowdhary told TOI.
¡°Some applicants approached us to say they would like to serve ingaushalas. Some said they cannot donate the blankets, so they would rather workin a gaushala. We also have some who volunteered for both,¡± he said.
Chowdhary also said that abandoned cattle are a ¡°social problem.¡±
¡°If they loiter on the roads, it often leads to accidents. There are twogaushalas within Gwalior city limits housing 12,000 cows. Together with thegaushalas in nearby areas, there are around 14,000 abandoned cows in sheltersthat need care,¡± he remarked.
There are around 18,000 gun licence holders in Gwalior, and thousandsapply every year.