New Delhi, May 29 (PTI) The Union government Wednesday started granting citizenship under the CAA in West Bengal, Haryana and Uttarakhand, the Home Ministry said.

The applicants in the three states were granted citizenship on Wednesday by the respective State Empowered Committee, the ministry said in a statement.

Also Read | Chhattisgarh Fire: Two Women Killed After Blaze Erupts at Carton Factory in Raipur, Firefighting Operations Underway (Watch Video).

The first set of citizenship certificates after the notification of the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2024, granted by the Empowered Committee, Delhi, were handed over to the applicants in New Delhi by the Union Home Secretary on May 15.

The CAA was enacted in December 2019 for granting Indian nationality to persecuted Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Parsi and Christian migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan who came to India on or before December 31, 2014.

Also Read | All Eyes on Rafah Quote Meaning: Why Is This Phrase Trending With AI Image on Instagram? Know All About the Viral Trend in Support of Palestine.

After the enactment, the CAA got the president's assent but the rules under which the Indian citizenship was granted were issued on March 11 after over a delay of four years.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)