The Narendra Modi government has granted citizenship to a total of 3117 religious minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan in the last four years. The minister of State of Home Affairs Nityanand Rai informed the same in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday (December 22) during the winter session of the Parliament.
Minister Rai said that the Home Affairs had received 8,244 applications from religious minorities of these countries for Indian citizenship.
Rai was responding to a question raised by Dr. K Keshava Rao of Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) who sought the details of total citizenship applications received from Hindu, Sikh, Jain, and Christian minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan during the years 2018 and 2021.
Besides, Rao also sought to know the number of minorities who were granted Indian citizenship during the aforesaid period. Rao also asked the total number of requests received by the ministry where minorities of these countries sought refuge in the Indian territory in the last four years.
Since India doesn’t have a refugee policy, the minister informed that all foreign nationals including refuge seekers are governed by the provisions contained in The Foreigners Act 1946, The Registration of Foreigners Act 1939, The Passport (Entry into India) Act 1920, and The Citizenship Act, 1955.
Another MP Abdul Wahab raised the question regarding the total number of foreigners granted Indian citizenship. Rai informed the House that between 2016 and 2020, as many as 4,177 people were granted Indian citizenship.
Rai said that as of December 14 this year, 10,635 applications for Indian citizenship were pending with the government out of which 70 percent (7,306) claims were from Pakistan. As many as 1,152 people from Afghanistan, Bangladesh (161), Srilanka and USA (223), Nepal (189) and 10 Chinese nationals requested for Indian citizenship. Minister informed that 428 stateless people were also among applicants.
