NEW DELHI: The BJP-led central government has notified the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
The decision was made prior to the implementation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) preceding the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The MHA in a statement said: “These rules, called the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2024 will enable the persons eligible under CAA-2019 to apply for grant of Indian citizenship. The applications will be submitted in a completely online mode for which a web portal has been provided.”
The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) featured prominently in the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) manifesto during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Following the BJP’s electoral victory, the Act was passed by Parliament on December 11, 2019, and has since sparked widespread protests throughout India.
The forthcoming notification of the rules is poised to facilitate the pathway for migrants from neighboring countries to acquire citizenship in India.
The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) modifies the Citizenship Act of 1955 to grant Indian citizenship to migrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan who are members of Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Parsi, Buddhist, and Christian communities.
These individuals must have entered India on or before December 31, 2014, fleeing religious persecution in their countries of origin.
The implementation of the CAA aims to provide assistance to refugees from these neighboring nations, particularly those who lack proper documentation.
More than a hundred individuals lost their lives either during the protests or as a result of police action following the enactment of the law in Parliament.
(This is a breaking story. More details awaited.)