Home Minister Dr Narottam Mishra handed over Indian citizenship certificates to 6 Hindu refugees, a religious minority from neighbouring country Pakistan. He said that the joy that elderly Nandlalji got on getting the certificate of Indian citizenship, has given us immense satisfaction. He presented certificates under the Indian Citizenship Act 1955 to four persons from Mandsaur and two from Bhopal. He informed that the work of granting citizenship to religious minorities living as refugees in India for years is being done at a fast pace.

 

He said that the minority Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, Sikhs residing in the neighbouring countries of India who have been victims of religious harassment have been residing in India as refugees since long. Priority is being given to the work related to providing them Indian citizenship. He granted Indian citizenship certificates to Nandlal Panjwani residing in Bairagarh after coming to India in 1991 from Sindh (Sakhar) province of Pakistan, Arjun Das and Narayan Das, residing in Mandsaur after coming from Sindh (Sinjero) in 1991, Saushalya Bai residing in Mandsaur who came to India from Sindh (Atdi) province in 1999, Jairam Das resding in Mandsaur who came to India in 1988 from Sindh (Sinjero) and Amit Kumar residing in Berasia Road, Bhopal who came to India from Jacobabad in 2005.

 

He said that by getting the citizenship certificate, refugees will now be able to become citizens of our country and enjoy the rights and facilities provided under the constitutional legislative provisions. On getting the Indian citizenship certificate, Arjun Das said that “we are proud that now we will be called Hindustani,”. Expressing gratitude to the government, Nandlal Panjwani said that “ Now we are now free of the troubles of having to complete formalities every two years. Now we can freely do our business,”.