CAA Extension 2024

 

CAA Extension 2024: A Window for Compassion, A Case for Reform

The Union Home Ministry has extended the entry deadline for persecuted

 minorities from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan until 31 December 2024.

 Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians who entered India without

 valid documents—or whose papers have expired—can now stay legally, sheltered

 from persecution.

This move brings relief to many, yet it also revives the unresolved debate around

 the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). Should protection be restricted to just

 three countries ? 

Should relief be confined to six faiths? What about the many others worldwide who

suffer for their beliefs?

 

Back in January 2020, I had outlined a compromise framework in my blog

CAA Compromise: With Malice Towards None. 

https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2020/01/caa-compromise-with-malice-towards-none.html

My suggestion was to rename it the “Religiously Persecuted Foreign

 Minorities (RPFM) Act”—a more inclusive, balanced approach.

Key Points I Proposed Then:

• Eligibility for any persecuted minority from any country.

• Proof of persecution required.

• Citizenship after 10 years of continuous stay (with scope for shortening in

• extreme cases).

• Those failing eligibility could still remain as “Atithi of India” rather than

• being detained.

• Children born in India to such applicants to receive automatic citizenship.

The present extension is welcome, but it remains a half-measure. A universal,

inclusive law would align far better with India’s civilizational ethos of “Vasudhaiva

Kutumbakam”—the world is one family.

Closing Thought:

Let us not limit compassion to a select few. This extension should be a stepping

stone toward a broader, humane reform that offers dignity and security to all

who knock on India’s door.

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With Regards,

Hemen Parekh

www.HemenParekh.ai / www.IndiaAGI.ai / www.My-Teacher.in / 04 Sept 2024