Less than two weeks after the first set of citizenship certificates were issued under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, the process has also begun in West Bengal, where the implementation of the law has been a contentious issue. The Union Home Ministry said Empowered Committees of the States of Haryana and Uttarakhand have also granted citizenship to the first set of applicants.
The Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) was enacted in December 2019 to grant Indian citizenship to persecuted non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. It reduced the qualification period for Hindus, Jains, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Parsis from these countries, who came to India on or before December 31, 2014, from eleven years to five.
The CAA rules were notified only in March this year, however, after massive protests stalled its implementation.
