The CAA, which originated in 2016 and was passed by Parliament in 2019, aims to grant citizenship to religious minorities from neighbouring Muslim-majority countries who migrated to India before December 31, 2014.
Ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections 2024, the Ministry of Home Affairs announced the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) on March 11. The CAA, which originated in 2016 and was passed by Parliament in 2019, aims to grant citizenship to religious minorities from neighbouring Muslim-majority countries who migrated to India before December 31, 2014.
The government has defended the CAA as a measure to protect persecuted minorities from neighbouring countries, asserting that it does not affect Indian citizens.
Under the Citizenship Act of 1955, Indian citizenship by registration or naturalisation is granted to non-Muslim minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan in nine states such as Gujarat, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, and Maharashtra.
Notably, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said in February that CAA was brought in to provide citizenship and not to take away anyone's citizenship.
"Minorities in our country, and especially our Muslim community, are being provoked. CAA cannot snatch away anyone's citizenship because there is no provision in the Act. CAA is an act to provide citizenship to refugees who were persecuted in Bangladesh and Pakistan," Shah had said.
What is NRC?
The NRC, established under the Citizenship Act of 1955, is designed to identify legal Indian residents. The National Register of Citizens comprises a record exclusively of Indian citizens. Critics of the CAA argue that its implementation, coupled with the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC), could lead to discrimination against Muslims.
What is NPR?
NPR aims to create a comprehensive identity database of residents; it is compulsory for every resident of India to register in the NPR, which includes both Indian citizens as well as a foreign citizens. NPR came with the objective to create a comprehensive identity database of every usual resident in the country.
As the Lok Sabha elections approach, the debate over the CAA and NRC continues to intensify, with opposition parties have called for greater clarity and transparency from the government on the issue.
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