There are still 2 groups in Bangladesh that can quickly process CAA applications

New Delhi: The Ministry of Home Affairs on Friday set up two more empowered committees for Bengal to expedite processing of citizenship applications received under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019. This brings to four the number of commissions authorized to operate in the state.The CAA grants citizenship to immigrants from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh belonging to six minority faiths – Hindu, Sikh, Christian, Buddhist, Jain and Zoroastrian – who entered India before December 31, 2014 out of fear of religious persecution in their home countries.The two other empowered committees in West Bengal, which will be headed by the deputy registrar general of the state’s Census Operations Department, are meant to take final decisions on citizenship applications forwarded by district-level committees after verification of documents, the home ministry said in a gazette notification issued on Monday. The arrangement is consistent with that of the authorized committee notified by the ministry on February 20.The original empowered committee, established under a notification issued by the ministry in March 2024 and headed by the Director of Bengal Census Operations, will continue to exist. Central government sources told TOI that with the three additional empowered committees now sharing the work with the original committees, the large number of applications under the CAA will be processed more efficiently and the processing time will also be compressed.Bengal has a large number of Hindu immigrants, such as those from the Matua community. The BJP has been in touch with Matuas to bolster its electoral prospects ahead of the WB assembly elections.The new empowered committee of CAA allows certain members of the original committee such as Foreigners Regional Registration Officer (FRRO) and State Information Officer notified on March 11, 2024 to nominate an officer not below the rank of Deputy Minister. Other members such as the attached intelligence service officers and the postmaster general or postal officers nominated by him remain unchanged.The new panel will include representatives from the offices of Bengal Chief Secretary (Home) or Additional Chief Secretary (Home) and representatives of the district railway managers as invitees.