New Delhi: Fourteen applicants, most of them who had come to India from Pakistan, were on Wednesday physically handed over Citizenship Certificates under the new Citizenship Amendment Act by Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla.
The Director of Intelligence Bureau, Tapan Kumar Deka, and Registrar General of India, Mrityunjay Kumar Narayan, were also present at the event.
First Set Of Citizenship Certificate Issued Under CAA
This is the first set of citizenship certificates to be issued after the notification of Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2024.
During the event, Bhalla congratulated the applicants and highlighted the salient features of the new Rules, which were notified by the Centre on March 11 this year. He said these Rules envisage manner of application form, procedure for processing applications by District Level Committee (DLC) and scrutiny and grant of citizenship by State Level Empowered Committee (EC).
In keeping with these Rules, the Centre had received applications from persons belonging to Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Parsi and Christian communities from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who had entered India up to December 31, 2014 on account of persecution on grounds of religion or fear of such persecution.
The District Level Committees (DLCs), chaired by Senior Superintendents of Post/Superintendents of Post as designated officers, had thereafter verified these applications. On successful verification of the documents, the applicants were administered oath of allegiance. After processing the applications as per the new Rules, the DLCs had forwarded them to the State Level Empowered Committee headed by Director (Census operation).
This Committee had thereafter conducted due scrutiny and took the decision to grant citizenship to 14 applicants. The Director (Census operation) consequently granted certificates to these applicants. For these applicants, many of whom are youth, it was a momentous occasion they had long been waiting for as it now provides them an opportunity to share and participate in the India story.
People Express Their Gratitude To The Govt Of India & PM Modi
One of them, Bhavna, who came to India from Pakistan, said: "In Pakistan, we girls couldn't study and it was difficult to go out. If we had to go out, we had to wear a burqa. In India, we get to study and I am currently pursuing my Class 11 and am taking tuitions as well.
Another successful applicant, Bharat, said he had been waiting for citizenship for the past 10-12 years. I feel like I have got a new life, he declared, thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi for making his citizenship possible. Harish Kumar, who has been residing in Delhi for the past 13-14 year, also said it had been a long wait for him but now it was like a dream come true feeling and as if he had got a new life.
