On Wednesday, May 15, the first set of citizenship certificates was issued to 14 individuals under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, nearly two months after its notification by the Centre.
Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla personally handed over the citizenship certificates to some of the applicants in New Delhi during a ceremony. He congratulated the recipients and outlined the key features of the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2024.
The interactive session was attended by Secretary Posts, Director of the Intelligence Bureau, Registrar General of India, and other senior officials.
The Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2024, which were notified by the Government of India on March 11, 2024, delineate the application process, the role of District Level Committees (DLCs) in processing applications, and the grant of citizenship by State Level Empowered Committees (ECs). These rules facilitate applications from individuals belonging to Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Parsi, and Christian communities from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan who entered India up to December 31, 2014, due to religious persecution or the fear thereof.
According to a statement by the Union Home Ministry, the District Level Committees (DLCs), led by designated officers, verified the documents and administered the oath of allegiance to the applicants. Subsequently, the applications were forwarded to the State Level Empowered Committee for further processing. All application procedures were conducted through an online portal.
After thorough scrutiny, the Empowered Committee in Delhi, under the leadership of the Director (Census Operation), granted citizenship to 14 applicants. Director (Census Operation) presented certificates to the successful applicants, marking a significant milestone in the implementation of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.