1,414 citizenships granted in 2021; Rs 936 crore spent on J&K Security: MHA

The union home ministry, in its annual report, on Monday stated that '936 crore has been reimbursed to Jammu and Kashmir government for security-related expenditure (SRE) till December 2022 while 1,414 citizenship certificates and 2,439 long-term visa (LTVs) were issued to minorities from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh till December 2021.

The central government has delegated its powers to grant citizenship by registration or naturalization in respect of foreigners belonging to Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Christian or Parsi community from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan, to collectors of 31 districts and home secretaries of 9 states.

"From April 2021 to December 2021, 2,439 LTV were granted by MHA to minority communities from three neighbouring countries. These include Pakistan (2,193), Afghanistan (237) and Bangladesh (9). A total of 1414 citizenship certificates were granted by all authorities, including MHA," the report stated.


In 2019, the Parliament passed the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) to grant citizenship to persecuted minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan with a cut off date till December 2014. The rules for the law, however, could not be framed till now.

On J&K, the MHA noted, "The militancy is linked with infiltration of terrorists from across the border both from the "International Border" as well as the "Line of Control" in J&K."