📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Biswarup Ganguly
Politics
West Bengal CM vows to grant citizenship to 2.5 lakh CAA applicants by Dec 31
✍️ Daily Excelsior
🗓 02 Nov 2026, 05:01 AM
👁 18
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced an accelerated process to confer citizenship on 250,000 applicants under the Citizenship Amendment Act by the end of December.
Kolkata, Nov 1 (Daily Excelsior) – West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said her government will fast‑track hearings for applicants seeking citizenship under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). She pledged that 2.5 lakh pending cases will be cleared and citizenship certificates issued before December 31.
The CM emphasized that the state machinery will allocate additional staff and extend working hours at the Regional Passport Office and the State Secretariat to meet the deadline. She also assured that no applicant will be denied on procedural grounds.
Officials from the Home Department confirmed that a dedicated task force has been set up to monitor progress and resolve bottlenecks. The move comes amid growing pressure from civil‑society groups and opposition parties demanding quicker resolution of CAA applications.
If the target is achieved, the beneficiaries will gain access to rights such as voting, property ownership and government schemes, marking a significant step for the thousands of refugees who entered India after 2014 under the Act.
The announcement was made during a press conference in Kolkata, where the CM reiterated her commitment to uphold the constitutional promise of the CAA while ensuring transparent and efficient implementation.
The CM emphasized that the state machinery will allocate additional staff and extend working hours at the Regional Passport Office and the State Secretariat to meet the deadline. She also assured that no applicant will be denied on procedural grounds.
Officials from the Home Department confirmed that a dedicated task force has been set up to monitor progress and resolve bottlenecks. The move comes amid growing pressure from civil‑society groups and opposition parties demanding quicker resolution of CAA applications.
If the target is achieved, the beneficiaries will gain access to rights such as voting, property ownership and government schemes, marking a significant step for the thousands of refugees who entered India after 2014 under the Act.
The announcement was made during a press conference in Kolkata, where the CM reiterated her commitment to uphold the constitutional promise of the CAA while ensuring transparent and efficient implementation.