NEW DELHI: As many as 2,447 legal migrants from Pakistan , Bangladesh and Afghanistan who belong to six identified minority communities in their home countries, have been granted Indian citizenship by collectors of 16 districts and home secretaries of seven states since December 2016.

Minister of state for home affairs Nityanand Rai , in reply to a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, said that many legal migrants belonging to six minority communities — Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, Parsis and Jains — from the aforesaid three countries had acquired citizenship of India as per the provisions of the Citizenship Act, 1955, and rules made thereunder, on becoming eligible for the same.

“For speedy disposal of their citizenship applications, Central government, in December 2016 has delegated its power to grant citizenship by registration under Section 5 and by naturalisation under Section 6 of the Citizenship Act, 1955, to the collectors of 16 districts in 7 states and secretary (home) of these 7 stats where most these migrants are residing,” said Rai in his reply.

While government had earlier this year got Lok Sabha to pass the Citizenship Amendment Bill seeking to facilitate grant of citizenship to minority citizens of the three countries, the Bill lapsed consequent to dissolution of 16th Lok Sabha .

