Home Ministry issues notification clearing way for Indian citizenship for non-Muslim refugees from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh

GG News Bureau 
New Delhi, 30th May. The Central Government has taken a major step to grant Indian citizenship to non-Muslim refugees from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh living in 13 districts of India. Applications have been invited from these people for the same.

Presently the non-Muslim refugees are  living in appalling conditions in 13 districts of  Gujarat, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Haryana and Punjab states

The Home Ministry issued a notification in this regard on Friday night. Now with the new notification, the path has been cleared for such refugees to become citizens of India.

In a notification issued by the Union Home Ministry on Friday night, the Union Home Ministry said, “In exercise of the powers enshrined in Section 16 of the Citizenship Act, 1955, the Central Government has decided to register minorities of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh as Indian citizens under Section 5 or issue certificates of Indian citizenship under Section 6. Non-Muslims from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh living in Morbi, Rajkot, Patan, Vadodra (Gujarat), Durg and Balodabazar (Chhattisgarh), Jalore, Udaipur, Pali, Barmer, Sirohi (Rajasthan), Faridabad (Haryana) and Jalandhar (Punjab) are eligible to apply online for Indian citizenship under it.

According to the notification, the application of such refugees will be verified by the Secretary of the State or the DM of the district. The district collector or state home secretary will create an online and written register. The register will register such refugees as citizens of India. A copy of such information must be sent to the Central Government within seven days.

Notably, two years ago, in 2019, the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) Act was enacted. At that time, the CAA Law was opposed in different parts of the country. Since then, this law has not been implemented. The CAA provides for Indian citizenship to Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Parsi and Christian refugees from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh. The people who came to India till 31st December 2014 will come under its ambit.  This new notification will enable such people to become citizens of India now.