Controversial CAA to be enforced soon, online registration portal ready for launch: Report
Over the past two years, several District Magistrates and Home Secretaries across nine states have been empowered to confer Indian citizenship to minorities from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan.
FollowThe controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), designed to grant citizenship to religious minorities from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh who settled in India, is reportedly set to be implemented next month. Reports suggest that the Union Home Ministry has conducted dry runs on the online portal, which is ready for registrations.
The CAA is expected to benefit refugees from neighboring countries who lack proper documentation. Powers to grant long-term visas, considered a precursor to the CAA, have already been delegated to district authorities.
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Over the past two years, several District Magistrates and Home Secretaries across nine states have been empowered to confer Indian citizenship to minorities from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan.
The annual report of the Union Home Ministry reveals that between April 1, 2021, and December 31, 2021, a total of 1,414 non-Muslim minorities from the specified countries were granted Indian citizenship through registration or naturalization under the Citizenship Act of 1955.
The CAA, enacted in 2019 amid widespread protests, introduces religion as a criterion for Indian citizenship, with the government arguing that it provides relief to non-Muslim refugees facing religious persecution in Muslim-majority neighboring nations. Critics, however, contend that the law discriminates against Muslims and goes against the secular principles of the Constitution.
The combination of the CAA, the National Register of Citizens (NRC), and the National Population Register (NPR) sparked widespread protests across the country in 2019, which were temporarily halted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The National Registry of Citizens, initially slated for nationwide implementation, was put on hold by the Central government amid the protests.
