News:
- In order to grant Indian nationality to nearly two lakh refugees from neighboring countries, the NDA government has given citizenship to around 4,300 Hindus and Sikhs from Pakistan and Afghanistan.
- The citizenship to these refugees have been given at the initiative of Home Minister Raj Nath Singh, following BJP’s declared policy that India is a “natural home for persecuted Hindus”.
- Ever since the Modi government assumed charge in May 2014, nearly 19,000 refugees have been given long-term visas in Madhya Pradesh. Around 11,000 long-term visas were given in Rajasthan and 4,000 long-term visas were given in Gujarat.
- This decision has been taken to address the difficulty being faced by Hindu and Sikh minorities of Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who come to India with the intention to settle permanently.
Source: ET