The person attained Pakistani citizenship and lived in Karachi earlier than returning to India in 2013.
Panaji:
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Wednesday handed over the Indian citizenship certificates to a 78-year-old Pakistani Christian underneath the Citizenship (Modification) Act, making him the primary such particular person from the coastal state.
Joseph Francis Pereira went from Goa to Pakistan for research earlier than liberation and subsequently took up a job there. He attained Pakistani citizenship and lived in Karachi earlier than returning to India in 2013.
The chief minister mentioned that although Pereira was married to a Goan lady, he confronted hurdles in getting Indian citizenship until the central authorities led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi amended the Citizenship Act, 1955. He gave the certificates to Mr Pereira within the presence of state tourism minister Rohan Khaunte.
The CAA was enacted in December 2019 to grant Indian nationality to persecuted non-Muslim migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan who got here to India on or earlier than December 31, 2014. These embody Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis and Christians.
The 1946-born Mr Pereira is married to Maria from the coastal state and entered India on September 11, 2013, after retirement, in keeping with authorities information.
Initially from Paroda village in South Goa, Mr Pereira now resides in Cansualim, in the identical district, together with his household.
Chief Minister Sawant advised reporters that Pereira is the primary Goan to get this certificates however many individuals throughout India have taken benefit of the modification in CAA to get Indian nationality.
He mentioned there are various Goans who could be given citizenship in the same means underneath the CAA.
As per the certificates, Pereira has been registered as a Citizen of India underneath the Provisions of Part 6 B and fulfilling the circumstances underneath part 5 (1)(c) of the Citizenship Act, 1955 with impact from the date of coming into India.
Mr Sawant mentioned that the Goa House Division has begun surveying such folks. “If anybody is eligible for the certificates, they will contact the federal government,” he added.
(Apart from the headline, this story has not been edited by EDNBOX workers and is revealed from a syndicated feed.)
