India Launches Online Portal for CAA, Facilitating Citizenship for Persecuted Minorities
In a significant development, the Indian government has launched an online portal to facilitate applications for citizenship under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) for six persecuted minority communities from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan. The Union Home Ministry announced the move a day after notifying the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2024, underscoring the government’s commitment to support individuals from Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Parsi, and Christian communities seeking refuge in India. The portal, designed to streamline the application process, allows eligible applicants to create a login and submit their documentation online.
The initiative comes four years after the CAA was passed in December 2019, aimed at granting citizenship to minorities who entered India on or before December 31, 2014. To further ease the process, the ministry revealed plans to launch a mobile application, ‘CAA-2019’, ensuring wider accessibility for applicants. This technological push underscores India’s effort to support those who have faced persecution in their home countries, providing a structured pathway to citizenship.
Applicants are required to submit an array of documents through the online portal, including proof of entry into India before the specified cut-off date and evidence of their community affiliation. The documentation process is facilitated by an empowered committee, with provisions allowing for documents to expire beyond their validity period. This comprehensive measure aims to simplify the citizenship acquisition process, reflecting India’s dedication to offering refuge and security to persecuted minorities in the region.
Pic Courtesy: google/ images are subject to copyright
