New Delhi3 minutes ago
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The central government has taken a big decision on minorities who came to India due to religious harassment from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan. The government has allowed Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and people of Christian communities to stay without passports from these countries till 31 December 2024.
The Home Ministry issued an order stating that even if the people of these communities came with valid passports or documents and their validity is over, then they will still be allowed to live. Under the last year, the citizenship amendment law (CAA) will be given Indian citizenship to the minorities who have come till 31 December 2014.
This new order will provide great relief to the people who came after 2014. Especially Hindu families coming from Pakistan have now got relief.
The central government implemented CAA across the country on 11 March 2024. The CAA provides for citizenship to non-Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh Afghanistan before 31 December 2014. For the first time in May this year under CAA, 14 people were given citizenship of India.
3 big things of citizenship amendment law …
1. Who gets citizenship: Prior to 31 December 2014, citizenship can be given to people of Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christian communities who harass India on religious grounds from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh. Only people from these three countries can apply for citizenship.
2. Effect on Indian citizens: CAA has no concern with Indian citizens. Indians have the right to citizenship under the Constitution. CAA or no law can snatch it.
3. How to apply: Application for citizenship has to be made online under CAA. The applicant has to tell when he came to India. You can apply even if there is no passport or other travel documents. Under this, the duration of living in India has been kept for more than 5 years. This period is more than 11 years to gain citizenship apart from this law.
1955 law changed The Citizenship Amendment Bill 2016 (CAA) was introduced in 2016. This was to make some changes in the 1955 law. On 12 August 2016, it was sent to the Joint Parliamentary Committee. The committee submitted the report on 7 January 2019.
The Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) was introduced in the Lok Sabha on 9 December 2019 by Home Minister Amit Shah. On 11 December 2019, there were 125 votes in Rajya Sabha and 99 votes against against it. It was approved by the President on 12 December 2019.
Caa 3 facts
- What about illegal Muslim immigrants of 3 countries: CAA is not about evacuating foreigners. It has nothing to do with the evacuation of illegal refugees. Foreign Act 1946 and Passport Act 1920 are already applicable for such refugees. Under both laws, refugees of any country or religion are admitted or explored into India.
- Why the government kept avoiding CAA: There were some apprehensions about CAA in BJP-ruled Assam-Tripura. The first protest was also held in Assam. There is a arrangement in the CAA that foreigners who settled on Assam before 24 March 1971 should be given citizenship. After this Bangladesh became a separate country.
- What was the apprehension among the people about CAA: CAA was seen as a ladder to create NRC i.e. National Citizenship Register in the country. People feared that a large number of people would be evacuated out as foreign intruders. There was an apprehension in the neighboring country Bangladesh that a large number of Bangladeshi refugees would return to him after the NRC is implemented after CAA.
In which states are citizenship being given to foreigners?
Under the Citizenship Act 1955, more than 30 District Magistrates and Home Secretaries of 9 states have been empowered to give citizenship. These states are- Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Punjab, UP, Delhi, Maharashtra.
