Focus: GS-II Governance
Why in news?
- Around 11 members of minority communities of Afghanistan, including a Sikh community leader who was kidnapped and later released, arrived in India after India granted them visas and facilitated their travel.
- The efforts of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in extending necessary support for the safe return of these families was appreciated.
- They will be accommodated in India under a long term visa arrangement.
Recently in news: Citizenship Amendment Bill
- The Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) is a bill introduced by the Central Government in the Parliament of India in 2019 to primarily amend the Citizenship Act of 1955.
- The main purpose of the bill is to make certain religious communities of illegal migrants or refugees eligible for Indian citizenship – in a fast-track manner.
- The Bill, among other things, seeks to grant citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Parsis, Buddhists and Christians who migrated to India till the end of 2014 from countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, due to reasons like persecutions.
- The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2019, in effect, seeks to give Indian nationality only to the non-Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.
- The countries from which minorities are allowed include Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan, but not Myanmar or Sri Lanka.
- Citizenship is granted by relaxing the requirement of residence in India for citizenship by naturalisation from 11 years to 5 years for these migrants.
-Source: Times of India
