CAA Portal: Ministry of Home Affairs on Tuesday (March 12, 2024) launched a portal (indiancitizenshiponline.nic.in) for people seeking Indian citizenship. The eligible candidates can apply for Indian citizenship under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act 2019. The portal launch came a day after the Central government notified CAA rules. The Act, which was opposed by opposition parties and a large section of society, was passed by the Parliament in December 2019. Despite several protests, the government didn't back out and promised to implement it before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. While the government is advertising its decision to notify CAA rules as its resolve to serious governance and living up to poll promises, the opposition parties are blaming the BJP for taking political mileage ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Some politicians, including West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, are saying that the law is unconstitutional and discriminatory. In this write-up, we will tell you what CAA is, who will benefit from it, and how one can apply for Indian citizenship under this law.

CAA Portal: What is Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA)? 

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Under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), non-Hindus coming from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan will be given Indian citizenship. Under the law, there is a provision to give Indian citizenship to people of Hindu, Christian, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist. and Parsi communities coming from these countries.

CAA Portal: Who will benefit?

The CAA law applies to those who came to India before December 31, 2014.

The minorities coming from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh will be provided Indian citizenship through this law.

In such a situation, the applicant will have to prove how long they have been living in India.

They will also have to fulfill the requirements of the Third Schedule of the Citizenship Act 1955.

CAA could have been implemented much earlier, but it got delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah had also indicated in December that CAA would be implemented before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

CAA Portal: What Centre said

Reacting to the notification of the CAA, the BJP said that by implementing it, the Modi government had fulfilled its guarantee and done what it said.

Revealing information about the journey of the CAA, the BJP said in this post, "Citizenship Amendment Bill 2016 was introduced in the Parliament to make changes in the Indian Citizenship Act 1955. Passed in the Lok Sabha on 10 December 2019 and in the Rajya Sabha the next day. CAA became law as soon as it was approved by the President on 12 December 2019 and on 11 March 2024, the Central Government issued the notification of CAA."

CAA Portal: How one can apply for Indian citizenship

For those eager to apply for Indian citizenship, they can do so through the government's new portal, indiancitizenshiponline.nic.in. One can apply online and check the status of their application on the website.

The status of their citizenship application will be communicated through SMS and email. 

CAA Portal: Do I need to submit the hard copy of the citizenship application?

One needs to submit a copy of their citizenship application form to the office of the district collector of the area where the applicant is residing. For applicants who are not residing in India, they may submit their application to the Consular General of India.

If the government asks you to submit additional required documents, you can upload them at indiancitizenshiponline.nic.in against your file number. Hard copies of the same documents need to be submit to the office of the district collector.