New Delhi, India (CU)_ According to the minister’s statement to India’s Upper House of Parliament, individuals from Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, the United States, Nepal, and Bangladesh, as well as stateless people, have filed for Indian citizenship. Ten Chinese applicants were also featured on the list. The ministry said that there were totally 10,635 applications filed for Indian citizenship as of December 14.
According to the figures published by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Pakistanis account for almost 70% of all citizenship applications waiting in India. Nityanand Rai, India’s Union Minister of State for Home, informed Parliament that 7,306 Pakistani individuals have filed for citizenship in India as of December 2021.
According to the ministry, in the last four years, 3,117 individuals from minority populations in Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Pakistan had been given Indian citizenship. In response to a query from a member of Parliament, Rai stated that in the previous three years, 8244 individuals including Sikhs, Jains, Hindus, and Christians from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh sought for Indian citizenship.
As per the minister’s statement, the following acts apply to all foreign nationals: Foreigners Act, 1946, the Registration of Foreigners Act, 1939, the Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920, and the Citizenship Act, 1955. While addressing the lawmakers in the Parliament, the minister discussed the applications from different communities. He said, “The number of citizenship applications received from Hindu, Sikh, Jain and Christian minorities groups from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan during the year 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021 is 8,244”.
The minister added that Afghanistan has 1,152 outstanding applications, followed by 428 from Stateless, 223 from Sri Lanka and the United States of America, 189 from Nepal, and 161 from Bangladesh. Nearly ten Chinese nationals have petitioned for Indian citizenship. The Ministry of Home Affairs has the authority to grant Indian citizenship after complete verification and investigation of the application.
