Centre Granted Citizenship Under CAA:
The Union Government has granted citizenship certificates to over 300 people who applied under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), 2019.
- The Citizenship Amendment Rules, 2024, were notified by the Ministry of Home Affairs on 11th March 2024, that paved the way for the implementation of the CAA after 4 years since its passage by Parliament in December 2019.
- The CAA provides citizenship to undocumented migrants from 6 non-Muslim communities (Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi, or Christian) from 3 neighboring countries (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan), who entered India on or before 31st December 2014.
- It also reduced the period to qualify for citizenship from existing 11 years to 5 years.
- The Act states that such minorities “shall not be treated as illegal migrants” and will be exempted from punishable sections under Section 3 of the Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920 and the Foreigners Act, 1946.
- The insertion of Section 6B allows such migrants to obtain citizenship through registration and naturalisation.
- Section 6B (introduced by the CAA of 2019 to the Citizenship Act of 1955) outlines a specific process for acquiring Indian citizenship by naturalisation for migrants from 3 neighbouring countries mentioned.
