Centre sets up 2 additional panels in West Bengal for citizenship applications under CAA
The directions have been issued in connection with the Centre having notified on March 11, 2024, the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules for all the states as well as Union Territories
The Centre has set up two empowered committees under citizenship rules, which will process applications for seeking Indian citizenship in West Bengal under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
These two panels will be additional ones as West Bengal already has two such committees. However, in view of the large number of applications, a decision was taken to constitute two additional panels.
According to a notification issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs late on March 2, the two new panels will be led by officers not below the rank of Deputy Secretary to the Government of India, nominated by the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India.
The directions have been issued in connection with the Centre having notified on March 11, 2024, the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules for all the states as well as Union Territories.
The rules had charted out the format of application form and the process to be followed by state-level empowered committee for processing applications for their scrutiny and grant of citizenship.
The latest notification related to poll-bound West Bengal, specifies the ranks of officers who are to be part of the two empowered committees.
The Home Ministry said that each empowered committee will also comprise an officer of the Subsidiary Intelligence Bureau not below the rank of Under Secretary to the Government of India; an officer not below the rank of Under Secretary to the Government of India to be nominated by the jurisdictional Foreigners Regional Registration Officer concerned; and an officer not below the rank of Under Secretary to the Government of India to be nominated by the State Informatics Officer of the National Informatics Centre of West Bengal.
The committee will further include the Post Master General of West Bengal or a postal officer nominated by the Post Master General, not below the rank of Under Secretary to the Government of India, it said.
The notification said there will be two invitees — a representative from the office of the Principal Secretary (Home) or Additional Chief Secretary (Home) of the West Bengal government, and a representative of the jurisdictional Divisional Railway Manager of Railways.
