New Delhi: The first set of citizenship certificates under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) were granted to 14 people here on Wednesday, marking the beginning of the process of providing Indian status to persecuted non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh. The certificates were given to the 14 individuals by Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla following the online processing of their applications via a special portal, an official spokesperson said.
The CAA was enacted in December 2019 to grant Indian nationality to persecuted non-Muslim migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan who came to India on or before December 31, 2014.
These include Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis and Christians.
After the enactment, the CAA got the president's assent but the rules under which the Indian citizenship was granted were issued only on March 11 this year after over four years delay.
With PTI inputs