When we came here…the wait is over, discussion of CAA once again amid elections

New Delhi: Many people got Indian citizenship under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), after a long wait. On Wednesday, more than 350 people were made citizens of India. This citizenship has been given under the new law (CAA) implemented in 2019.
In Delhi, 14 people were given certificates directly, while the rest got the certificates digitally in different parts of the country. Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla presented citizenship certificates to 14 people in Delhi at a special ceremony. There was happiness on the faces of the people who got citizenship and they said that being an Indian is a great feeling. This has given a new life. Sources said the Election Commission of India (ECI) was informed about providing the citizenship certificate as the Model Code of Conduct was in place.

Amit Shah called it a historic day
Citizenship to persecuted non-Muslim migrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan was granted nearly two months after the rules were notified under the CAA law. The Government of India had notified the Citizenship Amendment Act 2024 on 11 March 2024. Union Home Minister Amit Shah had said in an interview to ET on May 7, 2024, that more than 25 thousand applications have been received under the CAA and the process of issuing citizenship certificates is going on. On Wednesday, Shah described it as a historic day in a post on ‘X’.

How was the process completed?
The process of processing applications by the District Level Committee (DLC), followed by scrutiny by the State Level Empowered Committee (SLEC) grants citizenship. Applications have been received from people belonging to Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Parsi and Christian communities from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who have entered India up to December 31, 2014 due to persecution on grounds of religion or fear of such persecution. Oath was administered to the applicants after successful verification of documents by the DLC headed by Senior Superintendents or Superintendents of Posts of the Department of Posts.

What did you say after getting citizenship?
After getting the citizenship, Bharat said that getting Indian citizenship is like a dream come true for him. Sheetal Das, who lives in Majnu Ka Tila, Delhi, sells mobile phone covers for a living. He said that his family of 19 people had fled from Sindh, Pakistan and came here in 2013. He told that three people from his family have got citizenship. Sheet said, I am very happy. The government fulfilled our wish. Now I can live a respectable life in India. Yoshoda, who came from Sindh, Pakistan, also obtained Indian citizenship. She said that she can now live a respectable life as an Indian. Expressing gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said that by getting Indian citizenship, the future of his family and children will now be secure.