CAA & NRC - CITIZENSHIP AMENDMENT ACT & NATIONAL REGISTER OF CITIZENS – PROS AND CONS!
CAA & NRC - CITIZENSHIP AMENDMENT ACT & NATIONAL REGISTER OF CITIZENS – PROS AND CONS!
Any country will try its best to secure the country from illegal settlement of foreigners. We know that the United States is constructing big walls to check the refugees coming through Mexico Border. Thus, every government is concerned about its security from the illegal migration into its country.
So far, the situation in India has been that anyone can get the ration card and citizenship documents from local authorities following some tricks.
The documents we have with us are based on the details that we give to the authorities.
For example, ration cards are issued by the state governments through the local verification of residence, not the citzenship.
Recently, adhaar numbers and cards were issued based on the ration card documents.
So, we can not ascertain the citizenship of a person based on these two documents, ie, adhaar and ration cards.
In many countries, citizenship cards have been issued to their citizens. Even the neighboring Sri lanka has done it.
Such acts are necessary in the following background:
(1) When India was divided in 1947, 1.5 crores of people came to India from Pakistan.
(2) In 1959 Tibet war, more than 80,000 Tibetans came to India with Talai Lama.
(3) Between 1960 and 1971, there were 45 lakhs of people came to India from Bangladesh. So far, crores of people have come from Bangladesh.
(4) During 1959-1960 Russia – Afgan war, 20 lakhs people came into India.
(5) After Sri Lanka implemented Ceylon Citizenship rights act, 7 lakhs Tamils were declared having no citizenship. So far, it is assumed that more than 5 lakh Tamils came to India during the war between 1980 and 2000.
(6) Recently, in 2015-17, Rohingia people came from Myanmar to India.
Thus, inflow of people from the foreign countries into India is happening.
Of course, most of the people will be affected citizens from those countries, but, we can’t refuse the fact that even some bad elements too can come and settle in India.
We have to see the settling people with both mercy and caution.
Since there are no such documents available to prove the citizenship of Indians, there is a need for regulating the inflow of people from other countries and also to maintain the record of Indian citizens.
This act should ensure that genuine and innocent people are not affected. For this, the Indian
Government should make agreements with the neighboring countries to restrict the inflow of people from those countries, instead of torturing the people coming into India. Address the root of the issue by talking to the governments concerned.
As far as the people already settled in India are concerned, take a survey of the people who settled in India in the last 20 years and evaluate their background and then award citizenship to them or make an agreement with the respected countries to send back those foreign people who have criminal records in India.
There is no need for the consideration based on the religion. Any settler with criminal records should be sent out. Genuine and innocent people should be protected.
In future, make the rules strict in dealing with the settlement of foreigners in India and issuing of ration cards and adhaar should be made strict after verifying the nationality.
These regulations and steps can be taken using the existing citizenship laws itself.
In the case of National Citizens Register, asking for documents dating back March 1971 to prove their citizenship is not practically feasible because the previous generation of people, ie, our parents and grand parents may not have maintained the records to prove the citizenship. Most of the people those days were poor and daily wages who managed their life without any documents except a ration card. So, this document requirement should be made for the last 15 or 20 years, ie for the present generation, not before march 1971 as proposed now.
For example, many parents had no bank pass books during their period. Though they would have possessed a ration card, the next generation would have disposed them as expired documents after getting new ration cards for sons and daughters. In those days, most of the child deliveries happened in the homes and we can not expect those people to possess a birth certificate.
So, the documents proof should be fixed for the current generations only, ie, for 15-20 years.
After addressing these practical issues, the government can proceed with CAA & NRC, ie, Citizenship Amendment Act & National Register Of Citizens.
This will not invite opposition from the people as happening now.
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