National News

CAA Citizenship Processing

August 25 , 2026 16 hrs 0 min 114 0

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has empowered District Collectors in eight States/Union Territories (UTs) to process pending citizenship applications under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), 2019.
The eight jurisdictions are Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, West Bengal, Assam (except tribal areas), Tripura (except tribal areas), Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.
The Citizenship (Third Amendment) Rules, 2026, notified on August 19, 2026, allow Collectors to process applications under Section 6B of the Citizenship Act.
The CAA covers Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh who entered India on or before December 31, 2014.
Collectors can verify documents, conduct enquiries, administer the Oath of Allegiance and grant citizenship to eligible applicants.
Pending applications will be transferred from the earlier Empowered Committees/District Level Committees to the concerned Collectors.