Bengal, J&K, Ladakh and five other State Collectors empowered to grant citizenship under CAA
· India · The Hindu, Deccan Herald
The Ministry of Home Affairs on 19 August moved the processing of pending CAA applications from empowered committees to district collectors in eight states and union territories. The order names collectors in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, West Bengal, Assam (excluding tribal areas), Tripura (excluding tribal areas), Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. This change replaced the earlier committees, which comprised central government officials, after the Bharatiya Janata Party won the West Bengal assembly election. District collectors will now oversee applications for six non‑Muslim communities from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh who entered India before 31 December 2014. The decision renders the multi‑agency committee arrangement redundant and aims to streamline citizenship processing.
Why it matters
The new arrangement centralises citizenship approval at the district level, potentially expediting decisions for applicants. It also shifts administrative control from a central committee to local officials, altering the balance of state and central authority in CAA matters.
Read the original report — The Hindu
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