Government starts granting citizenship under CAA in West Bengal, Haryana, Uttarakhand

The Union government initiated the process of granting citizenship under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in West Bengal, Haryana, and Uttarakhand on Wednesday.

Enacted in December 2019, the CAA aims to provide Indian nationality to persecuted Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Parsi, and Christian migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan who arrived in India on or before December 31, 2014.

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According to a statement from the Union Home Ministry, applicants in West Bengal, Haryana, and Uttarakhand were granted citizenship by their respective State Empowered Committees.

This issuance of citizenship certificates follows the notification of the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2024, with the first set of certificates being handed over in New Delhi on May 15 by the Union Home Secretary.

The second set of citizenship certificates was issued on Wednesday, just days before the final phase of voting for the Lok Sabha polls on June 1. Several constituencies in West Bengal will cast their votes in this phase, with the counting scheduled for June 4.

Although the CAA was enacted in 2019, the rules governing the grant of citizenship under it were issued on March 11 this year, after a delay of more than four years.

These rules outline the application process, the procedure for processing applications by the District Level Committee (DLC), scrutiny, and the grant of citizenship by the State Level Empowered Committee (SLEC). The application process is entirely conducted through the online portal.

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The enactment of the CAA in 2019 triggered protests across the country, with demonstrators criticizing the law as "discriminatory." The protests and ensuing police actions resulted in the loss of over a hundred lives in various parts of the country.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has consistently asserted that the implementation of the CAA cannot be halted, as it is the law of the land. He has accused the opposition of misinforming the public on the matter.