The Central Government finally notified the rules and regulations of the Citizen Amendment Act (CAA), which has become a reality after four years. Home Ministry has put the rules online, and there will be an online portal for the citizenship application process. This means people can apply for citizenship under the CAA through the internet. The Home Ministry hinted at this announcement a few months ago, before the Lok Sabha election. The Election Commission might also announce election dates this week.
After four years of CAA Law promulgated by the Parliament, Modi government will deliver on its promise to identify and deport illegal migrants. The ruling party, BJP, sees this move as a step towards putting India and Indians first. Home Minister Amit Shah clarified that the CAA is not meant to take away anyone's citizenship but to fulfill the government's promise of identifying and deporting illegal migrants. “CAA is not a law to take anyone's citizenship.” He made this statement in a media conclave.
What is CAA?
The Citizenship Amendment Act became a law in December 2019 and started being enforced in January 2020. This law allows certain migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan to become citizens of India. However, it excludes Muslims from this opportunity, which led to protests across the country when it was passed in Parliament. The implementation of the CAA has been delayed because of disagreements about the rules. This law lets non-Muslim migrants from these three countries apply for Indian citizenship if they belong to certain minority communities: Hindu, Sikh, Christian, Parsi, Jain, and Buddhist. The idea behind this law is that these communities faced religious persecution in their home countries. The new rules will likely focus on what documents applicants need to show that they lived in Pakistan, Afghanistan, or Bangladesh before December 31, 2014, and belong to one of the religions mentioned in the Act. Sources say any official Indian document where the applicant declared their religion before this date could be used as proof.
The BuckStopper, run by a group of seasoned journalists, holds the powerful accountable. The buck stops with them, as they cannot shrug off their official responsibilities.
%20after%20four%20years){kind=link}