Days after the details and rules about the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act 2019 were notified by the BJP-led centre, a total of 18 Hindu migrants from Pakistan were conferred Indian citizenship at a special camp held on Saturday.
The ceremony, which took place at the district collector's office, was attended by Gujarat's Minister of State for Home, Harsh Sanghavi.
Minister Sanghavi personally presented the citizenship certificates to the migrants and urged them to actively contribute to India's progress.
"We are confident that you will join hands in building a new India," he remarked.
The minister highlighted the government's commitment to integrating all newly minted citizens into the mainstream of society.
"It is expected that all of you will be determined to participate in the development journey of the country," he said, adding that the central and state governments were committed to bringing all those who have obtained Indian citizenship to the society's mainstream.
This development comes under the purview of Gazette notifications issued in 2016 and 2018.
These notifications authorize district collectors in Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, and Kutch to grant citizenship to minority communities facing religious persecution in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh.
Including this latest ceremony, a total of 1,167 Hindu migrants from Pakistan residing in Ahmedabad have now received Indian citizenship.
Minister Sanghavi commended the efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah in streamlining the citizenship process for these minority communities.
The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) of 2019, implemented earlier this month, paves the way for granting citizenship to undocumented migrants belonging to Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Parsi, and Christian communities who have fled persecution in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh.
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