New Delhi [India], February 21 (ANI): The Ministry of House Affairs (MHA) has constituted an empowered committee for West Bengal for processing and granting of citizenship functions below specified provisions of the amended legislation.
The committee has been constituted below the provisions of the Citizenship Act, 1955 and the Citizenship Guidelines, 2009.
As per a House Ministry order issued on February 20, 2026, the Central authorities ‘exercised its powers below Part 6B(1) of the Citizenship Act, 1955, learn with Guidelines 11A and 13A of the Citizenship Guidelines, 2009, to inform the formation of the committee.’
The committee might be headed by the Deputy Registrar Common, Directorate of Census Operations, West Bengal.
It’s going to comprise senior officers from key central businesses, together with: an officer from the Subsidiary Intelligence Bureau not under the rank of Deputy Secretary to the Authorities of India; an officer not under the rank of Below Secretary, nominated by the jurisdictional Foreigners Regional Registration Officer (FRRO); an officer not under the rank of Below Secretary, nominated by the State Informatics Officer of the Nationwide Informatics Centre (NIC), West Bengal; the Postmaster Common of West Bengal or a Postal Officer nominated by the Postmaster Common, not under the rank of Deputy Secretary to the Authorities of India.
Moreover, representatives from the workplace of the Principal Secretary (House) or Extra Chief Secretary (House) of the West Bengal authorities, and a consultant of the jurisdictional Divisional Railway Supervisor, will function invitees to the committee.
The order states that the phrases and circumstances of the committee will stay the identical as these laid down within the earlier MHA order dated March 11, 2024, which was revealed within the Gazette of India.
The structure of the committee is a part of the procedural framework below Part 6B of the Citizenship Act, which pertains to the processing and grant of citizenship functions below specified provisions of the amended legislation.
Part 6B was inserted into the Citizenship Act, 1955, by way of the Citizenship (Modification) Act, 2019 (CAA). The modification offers a pathway to Indian citizenship for members of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities who migrated to India from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan earlier than December 31, 2014, attributable to spiritual persecution.
To operationalise the legislation, the Centre notified detailed guidelines in March 2024 outlining the appliance course of, scrutiny mechanism, and the position of district-level and state-level authorities.
The empowered committees are key our bodies accountable for analyzing functions, verifying paperwork, and making suggestions relating to the grant of citizenship.
West Bengal, which shares a protracted worldwide border with Bangladesh and has traditionally witnessed migration flows, is taken into account one of many key states the place functions below Part 6B are anticipated.
The formation of the committee ensures administrative coordination between intelligence businesses, census authorities, overseas registration officers, postal authorities and state representatives for verification and due diligence. (ANI)
