Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019- Facts, Myths and Stories

Citizenship Act, 1955
The Citizenship Act, 1955 regulated that anyone can acquire Indian citizenship based on his/her birth in the country or after spending a stipulated period. The period for naturalization for those people was 11 years.
Illegal Migrants
According to toe the previous version of Act, whoever entred the country without valid documents (Visa or Passport) or stayed after the permitted period was considered as an illegal migrant.
The Foreigners Act, 1946 and the Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920 gives the Government power of imprisonment or deportation of the illegal migrants.

2015-2016
In 2015 and 2016, the central government issued two notifications exempting certain groups of illegal migrants from provisions of the 1946 and the 1920 Acts. The groups which were exempted were Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan.
The Ministers and MPs of then ruling party had tried to pass the legislation in the Parliament during the first term of government in 2016, which had failed and thus failed to garner much interest of people and media.

Amendments 2019
⦁    Naturalization process- The naturalization process has been reduced from 11 years to 5 years for the mentioned groups in the Act while the other groups will have to follow the standard 11 years process of naturalization.
⦁    Exemptions for religious groups mentioned- The Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan will not be deported or imprisoned for being in India without valid documents under the Foreigners Act, 1946 and the Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920 as earlier.
⦁    Illegal Migrants-  The groups mentioned in the Act will not be considered as illegal migrants (if they have entered the country before 1st January 2015).
⦁    Exceptions- The Act leaves out the areas under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution and Inner Line Permit. These include Tripura Tribal area district, Garo Hills (Meghalaya), Karbi Anglong (Assam) and Chakma district of Mizoram.  Areas under the ‘Inner Line’ under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873 are also exempted from the CAA, 2019.  The Inner Line Permit regulates visit of Indians to Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, and Nagaland.

Problems
Lack of data
The Government of India along with the Governments of countries from where migrants have been allowed don't maintain data particularly dealing with this. Home Ministry of GOI has maintained its stand in Assam (where NRC was applied) saying that it had around 1.9 million migrants from other countries. There was a huge difference in the numbers provided by the Government in about migrants from Bangladesh with a stark decline of 4.1 million in July 2018 to 1.9 million in August 2019. In 2016, the then Minister of State, Kiren Rijiju had mentioned an estimate of around 20 million Bangladeshi migrants who are living in India.
According to the Census 2011, around 5.5 million people in India had reported their last residence outside the country which is roughly 0.44 percent of its total population. Of these 2.3 million (42 percent) came from Bangladesh and 0.7 million (12.7 per cent) from Pakistan. The number of immigrants from Afghanistan was low at 6596.
Lack of resources and the poor state of the economy
The already over populous country is failing to provide employment to its citizens. According to CMIE, the urban unemployment rate in October 2019 was 8.9% whereas the rural remained 8.3%. It was considered as an all-time high in the last three years.
Lack of proper machinery
The Government of India has not prepared any system for the incoming number of migrants and refugees. The inclusion of migrants will need to be followed by providing proper documents, places to settle, jobs and other basic amenities. Many State and Central authorities are still stuck in the process of digitalization of various cards along with making new ones every year. The new tax and land laws are keeping the already busy administration at toes.
The new influx is bound to put a great extent of extra stress on the administration at every level of Indian governance. The lack of data of Government clearly shows the lack of preparedness of GOI which might result in uneasy pressure on administration which always has more than accommodating vacant seats for officials.

Myth Versus Truth
An opportunity for many, thus the rumours.
Myth- The Bill being called unconstitutional on legal grounds fails to find any support as it does not directly deal with Article 14 of the Constitution of India.
Fact-
⦁    The State of Objects and Reasons in the Bill states that the historic migration from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan as many of the citizens of undivided India lived in Pakistan and Bangladesh. It fails to make a connection with why Afghanistan was added to the Bill.
⦁    The Bill maintains that the reasons behind the selection of said communities are because they were minorities in their countries and thus they face religious persecution in those countries. Although the Government fails to mention the religious communities such as Hindus of Sri Lanka, Rohingya Muslims of Myanmar in the Bill who have entered Indian territory in large numbers due to religious persecution.
⦁    The Parliamentary Committee which was set up had advised using the term persecuted minorities so that it does not violate Article 14 of the Constitution of India. The Government's interpretation, however, is disputable.

Three Sides of Story

⦁    Assam- Historically, Assam had opposed illegal migration through protests and official delegations. Many of those protests gave birth to senior leaders of the state who are on the centre stage today. The basic threat which looms over the state is of losing the culture, language and control over limited resources. Many of the areas in Assam do not accept the Assamese as an official language and infiltration into the inner parts of tribal areas of the state has also left many Ahomiyas fuming. The new Act also
⦁    Muslims- The largest minority group of India has recently witnessed the increased numbers of lynchings and other religion-based problems. The popular sentiment this Act has spread amongst the Indian Muslims is that the Government of India is maintaining that the people of Islam would not be accepted equally and easlily when compared to other religions. The Act has left out the Muslim persecuted groups such as Ahmadiyas of Pakistan and Rohingyas of Maynmar which further raises concerns for people demanding equal rights for all religions.
⦁    Hindus- The majority community in India has recently witnessed widespread sentiment of defence. The community is worried about the extinction of religion in the place where it was born. This community is also angered and worried about the killings and conversion based on religion in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The fear is not baseless as the recent years has also witnessed an increasing number of attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh and popular cases of conversion of girls in Pakistan. Many violent attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh were reported before the 2014 General and 2013 Presidential elections.

Fight for Right_ Stories in Afghanistan

Women in Afghanistan are gearing up to fight against America's stance where it is ready to talk to the Taliban stating that it is to attain peace for the war-torn country. The freedom of speech, movement and thoughts which was curbed brutally by the Taliban in name of religion before it gained power and spread throughout the country, is being demanded by the women of the country again after the Taliban has been restricted after long years of the American attack.
The redline movement started on social media by the women in Afghanistan emphasizes on their rights and why it should be protected by keeping the Taliban away from Afghanistan. In the Taliban-free areas, women are still fighting to get their early status of freedom and equal rights after years of oppression by Taliban forces. The changes in psyches of men and administration, in general, raise the challenges for women to the next dangerous level. They are willing to work for the better country that every Afghanistani national aim to have, but their actions towards development are often frowned upon. There are rare free spaces and platforms for the women of the country where they can speak, argue and demand their rights in their own country.
Taliban has assured Afghanistan, America and other world leaders that it has changed and willing to bring reforms according to the requirements of a modern world where violence would not be used as an enforcer. But the action of the group says otherwise. Many video footages have surfaced on the internet where the brutal techniques and draconian laws of the Taliban are still being enforced in the parts of the country where it holds a position of power to this date. Women flogged, beaten and executed for crimes that have no legal trials and proofs have been circulated on the internet. They have promised to be more humanitarian in ruling the country but actions speak louder than words where schools are banned for women and they are captivated under the laws of the Taliban's version of Islam.
Nevertheless, women of Afghanistan refuses to back down after they realized that they do not want the same childhood or adulthood they had under Taliban occupation. Thus they are protesting against America's move to resume talks with the Taliban. They have also raised questions about America's intentions to start a war against the Taliban and martyring so many of their soldiers if all they wanted, in the end, was talks. Women of Afghanistan are raising their concerns as the situation like before would prevail in case the talks are successful. America does not hold the rights of deciding on behalf of Afghanistan as it a free country of its independent will.
The women fear for the future they will present to their children. Will it be the free as they wish- getting an education, gender equality, access to food, shelter, healthcare? Will they be safe? Will the girl child of a mother will get to attend the best of schools in the bustling city of Kabul and go to college driving a car on her own? Will the freedom win?

Online frauds on rise in India

Internet transactions and ATM usage have seen a boom since the Government of India started focusing on cashless transactions along with opening bank accounts for everyone. Even e-commerce companies have played a significant role in the increased number of internet transactions.

According to data provided in Lok Sabha, use of ATM+PoS transactions by Indians have risen from 7223 million in 2013-14 to 23885 million in 2016-17 which is a 231% jump in a mere 3 years. Whereas internet banking transactions have seen a jump of 322% in the aforementioned three years. Thus the cyberspace is loaded with money from the time it leaves the instruction to conduct transaction until it reaches the vendor on the other end. Until then the cyberspace is exposed to various hackers and fraudsters. There were 9500 cases of financial cybercrime in the year 2013-14 which rose to 39051 cases in 2015-16.

Though the amount which is being transacted is much higher than the amount being stolen, it still prompts concern amongst the banks and their customers as to what steps are needed to resolve such issues. The adaptation of online transactions from COD (Cash on Delivery) of the nation has left the state machinery on the mercy of banks to create their web of safety for customers. Banks, on the other hand regularly try to enhance the security of such transactions to prevent financial fraud. They have tried to create a complicated web of security with OTP and other means, yet the trend of increasing financial fraud continues. Customers are made aware of the ways to keep their online transactions secure by not sharing bank or any other related details with anyone, yet most of the cases registered in the category are where the money is stolen using the details which were solely shared with the user.

ATM+PoS frauds are administered using skimmer devices where the data is copied and later used to steal money. RBI had asked banks to upgrade their ATMs and implement security measures in a phased manner.

Lack of proper effective machinery and skill pool by the cyber cells of police is another backlog which has raised the concerns. Many of the Police stations and even headquarters of state in India are not properly equipped and connected to their cyber cells.

The government in collaboration with the banking sector is trying to inform and aware customers and create better and secure machinery for internet transactions and ATM withdrawals.

भारतीय लोकतंत्र का त्यौहार

मेरे वतन को सियासत की ज़रुरत थी , उसे सियासत में फ़रेब  की ज़रुरत है, ऐसा मान बैठे है मेरी सरकार चलाने वाले नेता।  आज़ादी हमें मिली थी १९४७  में पर उसे वो अपनी ख्वाहिशों की आज़ादी मान बैठे। उन्होंने वायदा किया कि तुम सुकून से बैठो, काम हम कर लेंगे, वतन तो हमारा भी है।  हम भूले बिसरे उनकी मीठी खीर जैसी बातों में आ गए।  चलता रहा सफर, बदलते रहे नेता, बदलती रही विचारधारा, बढ़ते गए आज़ादी के साल।  पहले रेडियो पर और अखबारों में, फिर दूरदर्शन और फ़ोन पर, वायदे आते गए, हमे बेइंतेहा खूबसूरती से बहलाते गए।  जय जवान, जय किसान का नारा दिया सबने, फिर गहरी नींद सो गए सुकून की चादर ओढ़ के।  किसान आज भी परेशां, जवान आज भी हैरान, कि हुआ तो हुआ क्या  समय तो पर लगा के उड़ गया पर हमारे साथ क्या हुआ।  लोगो ने सरकारें बदली उम्मीद में की ये मेरा उद्धार करेगा, वो मेरा उद्धार करेगा।  पर नादाँ जनता का न पहले वाला अपना हुआ न अब वाला है।  वो आज भी किसान के मरने पर आँसू  बहाता है, वो कल भी इसी बात पर बिलख बिलख के रोयेगा। फिर शायद किसी वातानुकूलित कमरे में जाकर आलू के चिप्स खायेगा।  ५  साल के लिए एक बार फिर लोकतंत्र का उत्सव मनाया जायेगा, आम आदमी मदहोश हो जायेगा।  वो ख़ुशी मनाएगा, फिर भूल जायेगा। वो असहज प्रश्न  नहीं पूछेगा, हिसाब नहीं मांगेगा अपने खून-पसीने का।  वो फिर चुपचाप कुढ़ेगा कोने में।  एक बार फिर वो हार जायेगा। 

To keywords and coffee

To a person who has never set foot in the southern regions of India, it is a puzzle only solved by the popular perception of coconuts, gajra, lungi and white shirts on sight. A blessing in disguise for a student who loves travelling came in the form of a call letter that demanded her to go to the Tuticorin in Tamilnadu. The funds arrived, transport arrangements made, a bag packed, snacks brought and the time came to do a little research on the area in concern.

We researched the possible places to visit with the budget slip attached and the problems we might face. The language barrier isn’t very common to a Hindi speaking person in India. So, a trip to the land of non-Hindi speakers faced the suggestions of using English wherever possible. The common perception was set firmly in the mind that everyone in South India speaks and understands English.

The train arrived late; the station was filled with large families consisting of members ranging from every generation and generous piles of luggage with dabbas that probably carried food. The first encounter came in the form of co-passengers who spoke fluent and heavy-duty Tamil incessantly. A bewildered expression might have adorned our faces that the Tamil was now spoken in less loud voices.

A night’s sleep later, came the sticky and humid feeling of summer only peculiar to the coastal areas. We now knew that the locomotive has entered the land of coconuts and lungis. The female vendors had gajras on pinned on their hair and the aroma of idlis and vadas was fresh in the air. The day went by for us in the same bewilderment and the sight of beautiful new landscapes passing by.

A change of train later outside the Tuticorin station, the usual chanting of auto wallahs outside the railway station wasn’t what welcomed us. While asking about the directions to the bus stop from a gentleman, we got to know that he knows just threadbare English. Somehow we managed to convey a few keywords thus receiving a bit of understanding. The gentleman was generous enough to lead the way to the bus stop and the as the story follows the work was done with a lot of time to spare.

The ultimate desire to see the oh-so-famous Kanyakumari’s sunset and the place where Swami Vivekananda found peace hit hard. While asking for directions to go to the town English didn’t work as opposed to the common perception, keywords and smile did. As suggested by some people earlier, the next phase of the trip was done by travelling through road. Since there were no direct buses, we had to catch another bus from a small town of Thirunavelli.

The small town resembled any other town in the country just with an exception that no one understood Hindi and the communication was difficult. While we brought some food for the journey, a friendly face at the small grocery store helped as much as he could with the broken chain of keywords. The route from Thirunavelli to Kanyakumari goes round the Pothigai(Agasthyamalai) hills that hold aesthetic and religious values for the locals. According to the locals, the hills have all the medicinal plants that could be used by humans and thus is considered sacred by people living around it.

As the trip continued from the small towns like Nagercoil to big cities such as Chennai, a few of the popular perceptions attached to the area weren’t proved to be as true as they are told. In the mid-summer months, the sun in Kanyakumari doesn’t dive into the sea as expected by many. The sunset isn’t as spectacular in April to December because of the rotation circle earth passes through around the sun.

A mug of original Arabica and Robusta coffee is bound to pinch your pocket in any café or restaurant, but the frothed coffee popularly known as filter coffee tastes better in the tiny, clean shops in Kanyakumari. Unlike the popular chai culture in the other regions of the country, coffee is what keeps the people running in Tamil Nadu. Presented in a small steel glass sitting in a small bowl just to create froth by transferring from one utensil to another is a matter of expertise. An expertise that is a must-learn while being in Tamil Nadu.

The colourful temples with awe-inspiring architecture are bundled up in faith when huge crowds gathered outside the gates at 5 in the morning. The intricate designs and myths which accompany them to increase the value of experience tenfold.

Popular perception will tell you that the people in South Indian states can speak and understand English, where the fact is correct too far less extent as it is known widely. Travelling breaks the wrong ideas attached to culture, place and people that had grown strong with time. It is always about what are you willing to let go of to let more accurate and practical information enter into your brain. It was indeed a coffee and keywords experience.

Truly caffeinated

From Tamil Nadu