MHA issues first set of citizenship certificates under CAA to 14 individuals

THE JHARKHAND STORY DESK

New Delhi, May 15: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) announced on Wednesday that the first batch of citizenship certificates has been issued to 14 individuals under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), marking nearly four and a half years since the enactment of the law.

In New Delhi, Union home secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla greeted the recipients and gave the first set of citizenship certificates to the applicants.

On March 11 of this year, the Home Ministry notified the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2024.

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In the past two months, the MHA has received numerous applications from individuals of Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Parsi, and Christian backgrounds from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan. These individuals entered India before December 31, 2014, seeking refuge due to religious persecution or the fear of it.

The rules outline the process for completing application forms, the procedure for reviewing applications by the District Level Committee (DLC), and the examination and granting of citizenship by the state-level Empowered Committee (EC).