New Delhi [India], Mar 11 : Union Minister of State (MoS) for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai on Wednesday said a total of 14,864 Bangladesh nationals have been granted citizenship after signing of India-Bangladesh Land Boundary Agreement in 2015.
"After signing of the Indo-Bangladesh Land Boundary Agreement, 14,864 Bangladeshi nationals were granted Indian Citizenship under Section 7 of the Citizenship Act, 1955," Rai said in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha.
As per the data, while 40 migrants from Afghstan were Indian citizenship, 25 people from Bangladesh and 809 from Pakistan were given citizenship, respectively in 2019.
Elaborating the criteria to identify religious minorities of Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghstan who have faced religious persecution in their respective countries and who seek citizenship under Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in India, the Minister said: The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA) aims to facilitate grant of citizenship to migrants belonging to Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi, and Christian communities from Afghstan, Pakistan and Bangladesh who have entered India on or before December 31, 2014, and who have been exempted by the Central government by or under clause (c) of sub-section(2) of section 3 of the Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920 or from the application of provisions of the Foreigners Act, 1946 or any Rule/order made thereunder."
"The migrants covered by this Amendment Act can submit applications for grant of citizenship after appropriate Rules are notified by the Central Government," he added.
Rai was answering the questions by a Rajya Sabha member Ravi Prakash Verma from Uttar Pradesh.
( With inputs from ANI )