MHA forms 2nd empowered committee for Bengal to fast-track requests under CAA

New Delhi: The Union location ministry connected Friday constituted a 2nd empowered committee for West Bengal to fast-track the processing of citizenship requests received nether Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 (CAA). CAA provides for assistance of citizenship to immigra-nts from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh belonging to their six number faiths - Hindu, Sikh, Christian, Buddhist, Jain and Parsi - who entered India earlier Dec 31, 2014, fearing spiritual persecution successful their location countries. In a gazette notification issued connected Friday, the location ministry said West Bengal's caller empowered committee - which takes the last telephone connected citizenship applications forwarded by the district-level committee aft verification of documents - shall beryllium headed by the lawman registrar general, directorate of census operations of the state. The archetypal empowered committee - acceptable up successful accordance with a notification issued by MHA successful March 2024 and headed by director, census operations of West Bengal - volition proceed to beryllium successful existence. The caller empowered committee, cardinal govt sources told TOI, has been acceptable up arsenic the measurement of applications nether CAA successful the authorities has increased. Sharing of enactment is expected to compress the processing time. West Bengal has a important fig of Hindu immigrants, specified arsenic those belonging to the Matua community.

BJP has been making a large outreach to them to fortify its electoral prospects successful the state. The caller empowered committee connected CAA allows definite members of the empowered committee arsenic notified connected March 11, 2024 - similar the jurisdictional foreigners determination registration serviceman and authorities informatics serviceman - to nominate an serviceman each, not beneath the fertile of nether secretary. Other members similar an serviceman of the subsidiary quality bureau and postmaster wide oregon a postal serviceman nominated by him stay the same. Like the archetypal empowered committee, the caller sheet shall see a typical from the bureau of West Bengal main caput (home) oregon further main caput (home) and a typical of the jurisdictional divisional railway manager arsenic invitees.