Centre notifies implementation of Citizenship Amendment Act rules

New Delhi: The Union Home Ministry has notified rules for implementation of Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) on Monday, days ahead of the announcement of the Lok Sabha elections schedule.

Home Minister Amit Shah, on multiple occasions, said that CAA rules would be notified ahead of the Lok Sabha elections to be held in April-May.

The CAA rules, introduced by the Narendra Modi government and passed by Parliament in 2019, aim to confer Indian citizenship to persecuted non-Muslim migrants - including Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis, and Christians - who migrated from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan and arrived in India before December 31, 2014.

Following the passage of the CAA by Parliament in December 2019 and its subsequent Presidential assent, significant protests erupted in various parts of the country.

As per an official, the CAA law can be put into action with the issuance of MHA notification, allowing eligible individuals to obtain Indian citizenship.

The implementation of the CAA, which has been delayed for over four years, necessitates the formulation of its associated rules.

"The regulations are prepared, and an online portal is already set up for the entire process, which will be conducted digitally. Applicants will need to disclose the year of their entry into India without any travel documents. No additional documentation will be required from the applicants," stated the official.

On December 27, Union Home Minister Amit Shah asserted that the implementation of the CAA cannot be halted as it stands as the law of the land. He had also accused West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of misleading the public regarding this matter.

As per the manual of parliamentary procedures, the guidelines for any legislation should have been formulated within six months of receiving the presidential assent, or the government should have sought an extension from the Committees on Subordinate Legislation in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. Since 2020, the Ministry of Home Affairs has been regularly seeking extensions from the parliamentary committees to continue the process of framing the rules associated with the legislation.

During the past two years, over 30 district magistrates and home secretaries across nine states have been authorized with the ability to confer Indian citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians arriving from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan under the Citizenship Act of 1955. As per the Ministry of Home Affairs annual report for 2021-22, between April 1, 2021, and December 31, 2021, a cumulative count of 1,414 individuals from non-Muslim minority communities originating from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan were granted Indian citizenship through registration or naturalization under the Citizenship Act, 1955.

Under the Citizenship Act of 1955, Indian citizenship by registration or naturalization is granted to non-Muslim minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan in nine states such as Gujarat, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, and Maharashtra. It's notable that authorities in districts of Assam and West Bengal, both politically sensitive regions on this matter, have not been empowered with these citizenship-granting authorities thus far.

According to Home Ministry sources, many misconceptions have been spread regarding the CAA. This is the law to give citizenship; CAA will not take away citizenship of any Indian citizen irrespective of religion. This Act is only for those who have suffered persecution for years and have no other shelter in the world except India.

"The Constitution of India grants us the right to provide religious persecuted refugees with Fundamental Rights and to grant citizenship from a humanitarian perspective," Amit Shah said, adding, "With this notification, Prime Minister Modi has delivered on another commitment and realized the promise of the makers of our constitution to the Hindus, Sikha, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians living in those countries." (ANI)

 Also Read: Hindu migrants ecstatic over Citizenship Amendment Act coming into force, thank PM Narendra Modi

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