Will soon start work on CAA: U’khand min

DEHRADUN: The Uttarakhand government would soon begin the process to implement the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in the state by identifying refugees from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, minister and government spokesperson Madan Kaushik said on Friday.

“Our government would soon initiate the work on the CAA by identifying refugees for granting them Indian citizenship as per the law. The citizenship would be granted to any refugee who would apply for it as per the law,” urban development minister Kaushik told HT. “If the refugee applicant fulfils all the parameters of the law, he would be granted the citizenship,” he added.

The ruling BJP in the state had conducted extensive mass outreach awareness campaigns on the CAA through its leaders and legislators. The party’s senior leaders, including chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, union human resource development minister Ramesh Pokhriyal, chief minister of Himachal Pradesh Jai Ram Thakur and MP Ajay Bhatt, held at least 13 press conferences at different places from December 30 and January 15. The party leaders also held more than 300 rallies across the state to garner public support on the act during the same period.

The amended citizenship law will grant citizenship to nonMuslims, who escaped to India fearing religious persecution in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.

Critics say the law discriminates on the basis of religion and undermines the Constitution. The Centre has denied all allegations amid protests against the CAA across the country.