The Tripura Government has established a six-member state-level empowered committee to oversee the granting of citizenship under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act 2019 (CAA). The committee is chaired by the Director of Census Operations, Rabindra Reang, according to an official announcement on Friday.
The CAA, enacted in December 2019, aims to provide Indian nationality to persecuted Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Parsi, and Christian migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan who entered Bharat on or before December 31, 2014. This legislative measure seeks to offer refuge and legal status to those who have faced religious persecution in their home countries.
“Following directives from the Ministry of Home Affairs, the state-level empowered committee for granting Indian citizenship under the CAA has been formed,” mentioned Reang.
Committee’s Primary Responsibilities
Application Review: District Magistrates across the State have been instructed to form district-level empowered committees to receive and scrutinisze applications under the CAA.
Eligibility Criteria: Applications will be initially examined by district committees before being forwarded to the state-level panel. This ensures thorough vetting before citizenship is granted.
Eligibility and Exclusions
Reang highlighted that residents within the areas of Sixth Schedule regions (Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council) are not eligible to apply for citizenship under the CAA. This restriction means only those from non-Sixth Schedule areas, such as Agartala Municipal Corporation, municipalities, nagar panchayats, and gram panchayats, can apply.
“Under the CAA, only those who take refuge from three specific countries due to religious persecution in non-Sixth Schedule areas are eligible to apply for Indian citizenship with supporting documents,” he explained.
Individuals seeking Indian citizenship must apply to the district-level committee. The application process involves submission of their applications to the district-level committee. Then, the district-level committee will scrutinize the applications. Valid applications are then referred to the State-level empowered committee for final consideration. If all criteria are met and the information is verified, the State-level panel will grant citizenship under the CAA.
To ensure eligible individuals are informed about the process, the Directorate of Census Operations plans to conduct a Statewide awareness program about the CAA. This initiative aims to provide clear guidance and encourage eligible migrants to apply for citizenship.
This structured approach by the Tripura Government signifies a systematic effort to implement the CAA, providing a pathway to citizenship for those persecuted for their religious beliefs while maintaining rigorous checks to uphold the integrity of the process.
