Guwahati: A total of 1,414 citizenship certificates were issued in 2021 by authorities including the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), according to the annual report made public on Monday.
According to the MHA annual report 2021–22,1 April 2021 through 31 December 2021 saw the issuance of 1,120 citizenship certificates by registration under section 5 and 294 by naturalisation under section 6 of the Citizenship Act of 1955
Collectors of 13 additional districts and Home Secretaries of two additional States were given the authority by the Central Government to grant Indian citizenship by registration or naturalisation to foreigners from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan who are members of the Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Budhist, Christian, or Parsi community.
As a result, the Collectors of 29 districts and the Home Secretaries of 9 States are now able to award citizenship to the aforementioned group of migrants. As the decision will be made locally, the delegation will expedite the process of granting Indian citizenship to the aforementioned category of migrants, according to the article.
The article further states that on August 22, 2021, a module for processing applications for renunciation of Indian citizenship was launched online as part of the “Immigration, Visa and Foreigners Registration & Tracking (IVFRT) platform.”
An Indian citizen who is of legal age and capacity may submit an online application for renunciation of Indian citizenship through this module. Applications for renunciation of Indian citizenship are now processed entirely online.
According to the study, this online processing intends to ease compliance burdens and increase transparency in the handling of applications for renunciation of Indian citizenship.
“Immigration, Visa and Foreigners Registration and Tracking (IVFRT)” is a plan scheme that the Ministry of Home Affairs has been putting into practise.
The main goal of this project is to create and put into action an integrated and secure online delivery infrastructure that will help legitimate travellers while enhancing security. The Scheme is being implemented in a planned and staged way in accordance with location readiness for infrastructure and connectivity, supported by efficient institutional capacity, training, and communication.
The project’s scope includes 194 Indian missions abroad, 108 ICPs (Immigration Check Posts), 13 FRROs (Foreigners Regional Registration Offices), and more than 700 FROs (Foreigners Registration Offices) in district headquarters across the nation. As a result, the project has a national and international reach. 184 Indian missions overseas, 13 FRROs, 700+ FROs, and 108 immigration checkpoints have integrated online visa application systems as of December 31, 2021. (ICPs).
In order to collect the biometric information of visa applicants, 184 Indian Missions overseas have adopted biometric enrolment software.
A total number of 108 border crossings have been designated as approved Immigration Check Posts in total (ICPs). The Khushi Nagar (UP) Airport ICP was established in the year 2021.