New Delhi, March 11 -- The controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Act, also known as CAA, was put into effect by the Government on Monday, marking four years since its contentious passage. Enacted in 2019, the Citizenship (Amendment) Act aims to confer Indian citizenship upon refugees who fled to India prior to December 31, 2014, owing to religious persecution in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan.

Government sources have outlined the potential benefits of implementing the CAA, stating that it would eliminate "legal obstacles to rehabilitation and citizenship" and offer a dignified existence to long-suffering refugees. They emphasized that citizenship rights would safeguard the cultural, linguistic, and social identities of these refug...