New Delhi, Feb. 21 -- The Union home ministry on Friday ordered the constitution of an empowered committee for West Bengal for the application for citizenship through registration or naturalisation. The committee will be headed by the deputy registrar general of directorate of census operations. To be sure, the government had notified the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2024 on March 11, 2024 for all states/Union territories. The rules envisage the manner of application form, procedure for processing applications by District Level Committee (DLC) and scrutiny and grant of citizenship by State Level Empowered Committee (EC). The latest order issued with regard to the election-bound West Bengal has made minor modifications by specifying the ranks of officers who could be in the empowered committee. The order said that the state government officials shall be invitees in the committee. The order further said that all other terms and conditions shall be the same as provided in the rules issued in March 11, 2024. According to the CAA rules, 2024, refugees from six minority communities from three countries applying for grant of citizenship by registration or naturalisation have to submit an electronic form to an empowered committee through the district-level committee, which may be notified by Centre, along with supporting documents such as a passport , birth certificate, land or tenancy records, etc.htc...