Center's big step before Gujarat elections, people coming from 3 countries including Pakistan will get citizenship easily in these 2 districts.

Before the Gujarat elections, the BJP-led central government, taking a big bet, has decided that minorities living in two districts of Gujarat, coming from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, will be given citizenship of India. Apart from Hindus, these minorities include Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians. Officials said that under the new rule by the Ministry of Home Affairs related to the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the District Collectors have been empowered to investigate people and give them citizenship.

This means that the citizenship of the people will be done under the Citizenship Act 1955. Not under the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act 2019 ie CAA. Although this amended act also has a provision to give citizenship to minorities coming from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, but the government has not yet made rules under it. Due to which till now no one has been given citizenship under CAA.

The Ministry of Home Affairs has simplified the entire process of obtaining citizenship for Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian people from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. Anand Collector DS Gadhavi said that under the new rule, collectors now have the right to investigate people and give them citizenship. According to officials, the collectors of Mehsana and Anand have been given the right to grant citizenship. Mithali Maheshwari, who lives in Tarapur in Anand district and hails from Sindh, Pakistan, has applied for citizenship and is happy with the government's decision.

Such people living in two districts of Gujarat will have to submit their applications online, after which the collector will verify it at the district level. According to the notification, the collector will send his report to the central government along with the application. According to the notification, on being satisfied after the complete process, the collector will grant Indian citizenship and issue a certificate for it. An online as well as physical register shall be maintained by the Collector, containing the details of persons so registered or naturalized as citizens of India and a copy thereof shall be sent to the Central Government within a period of seven days of such registration or naturalisation.

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