The Ministry of Home Affairs issued the first set of citizenship certificates under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) on Wednesday to 14 individuals, marking the beginning of the process to grant Indian nationality to persecuted non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh.
Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla personally handed over the certificates to the 14 recipients following the processing of their applications through a designated online portal.
Read Also | What Is CAA? All You Need To Know About Citizenship Amendment Act Rules
"The first set of citizenship certificates after notification of Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2024 were issued today. Union Home Secretary Shri Ajay Kumar Bhalla handed over citizenship certificates to some applicants in New Delhi today. The Home Secretary congratulated the applicants and highlighted salient features of the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2024. Secretary Posts, Director (IB), Registrar General of India and senior officers were also present during the interactive session," the government said in a statement.
The CAA, enacted in December 2019, aims to provide Indian nationality to persecuted non-Muslim migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan who arrived in India on or before December 31, 2014. This includes Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis, and Christians facing persecution in these countries.
While the CAA received presidential assent soon after its enactment, the rules governing Indian citizenship under this act were issued only on March 11 of this year, following a delay of over four years.