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The Ministry of Home Affairs has issued the first set of citizenship certificates under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA). Union Home Minister Amit Shah stated that 300 people in Delhi are receiving citizenship under the CAA, emphasizing that it is the country's law.
Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla presented citizenship certificates to the first 14 individuals in New Delhi after their applications were processed online through a designated portal. He congratulated the applicants and highlighted the key features of the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2024 during the ceremony.
The Citizenship Amendment Rules, 2024, which were notified by the Ministry of Home Affairs on March 11, 2024, have made the CAA, which was passed by Parliament in 2019, operational. As per the regulations, migrants from six minority communities in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh can seek Indian citizenship under the CAA, with retrospective effect from December 31, 2014.
The CAA amendment makes migrants who entered India by December 31, 2014, and have faced religious persecution or fear of religious persecution in their country of origin eligible for citizenship by the new law. These migrants will be granted fast-track Indian citizenship in six years.
Additionally, the amendment relaxes the residence requirement for naturalization of these migrants from 11 years to 5 years.
Source: Centre issues first set of citizenship certificates under CAA to 14 people