150% increase in birth certificate issuance not due to CAA-NRC, clarifies Lucknow admin

Lucknow Provincial Civil Service (PCS) Amit Kumar said on Friday that the city has witnessed a 150 per cent increase in birth certificate issuance. 

When asked whether the people rushing to get birth certificates is because of the recently amended Citizenship law, the PCC said, "It is not because of Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) or National Register of Citizens (NRC) that we are issuing the birth certificates faster. We issue certificates within 24 hours."

People queue up to receive birth certificates

Amid the row over Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), Hapur Municipal Corporation office on Wednesday, December 25, witnessed heavy footfalls as scores of people swarmed to receive their birth certificates. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that all the documents should be there for the citizenship, so we are preparing for it," a local told ANI. According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, citizenship of India will be proved by submitting any document related to the date of birth or place of birth or both.

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Increase in demand for birth certificates

In view of the amendment to the Citizenship Act and the controversy over a possible country-wide National Register of Citizens (NRC), municipal wards across the country have witnessed increased demand. In the city of Mumbai, particularly Bandra, Santacruz, Kurla, Sakinaka, parts of Khar, among others have seen an increase in the number of applications for obtaining birth certificates. Around 30 to 40 applications for birth certificates were received every day in the H-West ward, covering Bandra, Khar and Santacruz since January 1, against the monthly average of 150 to 180 applications.

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Places like Kurla and Sakinaka, have witnessed over 250 applications in October, 338 applications in November and 398 applications in December, against the monthly average of 250. The municipal wards in paces like Byculla and Nagpada, received around 200 applications in December, against the monthly average of 125 to 150.

There has been a 20-30% rise in birth certificate applications in several areas of Mumbai since December, a senior BMC official said.

Citizens fearing the effects of CAA and NRC have began to look for their documents to prove their citizenship.

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CAA — a relief for religiously persecuted refugees

The Citizenship Act was passed in the Lok Sabha on December 9 and then by the Rajya Sabha on December 11. The Act seeks to grant Indian citizenship to refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan who are religious minorities in their respective countries. Through this bill, Indian citizenship will be provided to the members of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities, who have come from the three countries to India till December 31, 2014, to put an end to them being treated as illegal immigrants in the country.

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