CITIZENSHIP AMENDMENT ACT Syllabus GS Paper 2 - Polity)

Context: Recently, the Minister of State for Home Affairs announced that rules for the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) will be formulated by March 2024.

Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) 2019

• It amended: The act amended the Citizenship Act, 1955 to make illegal migrants eligible for citizenship of India. 
• Citizenship on the basis of religion: The CAA provides citizenship on the basis of religion to six undocumented non-Muslim communities (Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians) from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh who entered India on or before 31st December, 2014.
• Definition: Under the Act, an illegal migrant is a foreigner who:

o Enters the country without valid travel documents like a passport and visa, or

o Enters with valid documents, but stays beyond the permitted time period.

• Citizenship by registration or naturalisation: The Act allows a person to apply for citizenship by registration or naturalisation if the person meets certain qualifications.
• Citizenship by registration or naturalisation: The Act allows a person to apply for citizenship by registration or naturalisation if the person meets certain qualifications.
• Non-applicability: These provisions on citizenship for illegal migrants will not apply to the tribal areas of Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Tripura, included in the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution. 

Methods of Acquiring Citizenship of India prescribed in the Citizenship Act, 1955:

o By Birth, By Acquisition or Incorporation of Territory, By Descent, By Registration, By Naturalisation.

Why is the northeast against CAA?

• Prolonged large-scale migration from neighboring countries has been a persistent issue in the north-eastern states.
• Indigenous residents have expressed their discontent through protests, citing concerns about the impact of this migration on the social, economic, and political aspects of the region.