Home Ministry gets time till July to frame CAA rules
The rules for implementing the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which was passed in 2019, are under preparation, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) informed the Parliament on Tuesday. Responding to a question, the MHA said it has secured time till July to complete the exercise. The Centre also informed that a decision on the pan-India National Register of Citizens (NRC) hasn't been taken yet.
Congress MP asked if Centre plans to implement CAA
Congress MP VK Sreekandan had questioned whether or not the Centre planned on implementing CAA, considering it was passed more than a year ago. Parliamentary rules state that after a bill becomes an act, the concerned ministry has to frame the rules in six months. Responding to the query, MoS (Home Affairs) Nityanand Rai said the act was enforced on January 10, 2020.
Rai informed that Centre has time till July
"The Rules under The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 are under preparation. The Committees on Subordinate Legislation, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha have granted extension of time up to April 9, 2021 and July 9, 2021, respectively to frame these rules under the CAA," Rai added.
Earlier, Shah said coronavirus pandemic derailed the plans
To note, this is the third time the MHA, led by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Amit Shah, got an extension to frame rules. The first such extension was given in July 2020 and the second in October. In December last year, Shah had said that the process was getting delayed, due to the coronavirus pandemic and would be undertaken after the vaccination drive begins.
CAA triggered protests in Assam; Delhi also witnessed bloodshed
To recall, CAA, which seeks to give Indian citizenship to persecuted non-Muslims from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan had sparked violent protests in Assam. The residents argued that welcoming people from other nations would compromise the sensitive demographic. Delhi was also jolted by anti-CAA protests. The agitation turned ugly in February as riots were sparked in the national capital, killing over 50 and injuring hundreds.
Decision on NRC is still pending: MHA
Like CAA, the Centre seems to have pushed NRC plans to the backburner as well. "It has been clarified at various levels in government time and again that till now no decision has been taken to create National Register of Indian citizen, (sic)" the MHA told a parliamentary panel, headed by Congress's Anand Sharma. The panel had raised concerns over data collection, necessary for this drive.
Notably, Assam's NRC drive was approved by Supreme Court
It was in 2019 that the NRC list, meant to identify bona fide citizens of Assam, was published. The exercise was undertaken on the orders of the Supreme Court. Of the 3.3 crore people who applied, 3.11 crore were included in the list. Later, while BJP leaders expressed willingness to conduct the exercise for the entire nation, critics slammed the idea, saying it would alienate Muslims.
