The Centre on Wednesday informed the Rajya Sabha that no proposal is under consideration to further amend the Citizenship Act (CAA) for granting Indian nationality to members of other minority communities.
The objective of the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), enacted in 2019, is to grant Indian citizenship to non-Muslim persecuted minorities -- Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis and Christians -- from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.
Responding to a question "whether the government is considering any further amendment to the Citizenship Act by including other minorities under its purview", Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai said, "no such proposal is under consideration".
"Eligible persons covered by the Citizenship Amendment Act may submit applications for grant of citizenship after appropriate rules are notified by the central government," said Rai in a written reply to another query about whether the government has received new applications for citizenship after the CAA 2019 was enacted.
The CAA was notified on December 12, 2019, and came into force with effect from January 10, 2020.
Rai also said that the committees on Subordinate Legislation, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha have been requested to grant further extension of time up to January 9, 2022, to frame the rules under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019.
The government got an extension for the fifth time for framing these rules.
According to the manual on Parliamentary Work, the rules for any legislation should be framed within six months of presidential assent or an extension of the time must be sought.
Those from the mentioned communities who had come to India till December 31, 2014, facing religious persecution there, will not be treated as illegal immigrants but given Indian citizenship.
There was widespread protest across the country leading to the deaths of many innocent people in violence after the CAA was passed by Parliament.
( With inputs from ANI )
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