2 min readNew DelhiMar 3, 2026 04:00 AM IST
AHEAD OF the Assembly polls in West Bengal, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs on Monday notified two more empowered committees to fast-track the process of granting citizenship applications under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
The fresh notification was issued within 10 days after the Centre operationalised the process of granting citizenship under the CAA through a gazetted notification, notifying the constitution of an Empowered Committee in the state to process applications under the Act.
The fresh development comes amid the ongoing political friction in West Bengal, where the Trinamool Congress government is at odds with the Centre over a number of issues and has been opposing the CAA, calling it discriminatory.
In a notification issued on Monday, the MHA said, “In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (1) of section 6B of the Citizenship Act,1955 (57 of 1955) read with sub-rules (1) and (3) of rule 11A of the Citizenship Rules, 2009, the Central government hereby specifies the following, namely:-(i) For the purposes of sub-rule (1) of rule 11A and rule 13A of the Citizenship Rules, 2009, two Empowered Committees for the State of West Bengal, headed by officers not below the rank of Deputy Secretary to the Government of India, to be nominated by the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India, are also constituted.”
“…Each Empowered Committee shall consist of the officers as members, namely: -(a) an officer in the Subsidiary Intelligence Bureau not below the rank of Under Secretary to the Government of India; (b) an officer not below the rank of Under Secretary to the Government of India, to be nominated by the jurisdictional Foreigners Regional Registration Officer concerned; (c) an officer not below the rank of Under Secretary to the Government of India, to be nominated by the State Informatics Officer of National Informatics Centre of the State of West Bengal; and (d) Post Master General of the State of West Bengal or a Postal Officer to be nominated by the Post Master General not below the rank of Under Secretary to the Government of India,” the notification said.