West Bengal Chief Minister Sets December Target for Matua CAA Certificates

UPDATE - follow-up to Suvendu Adhikari accuses Mamata Banerjee of dividing Matuas and opposing CAA: West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced a target to grant citizenship certificates under the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 to 2.5 lakh Matuas by December 2026.

Citizenship Progress

During a visit to the Thakurnagar religious headquarters, the Chief Minister noted that only 25,000 people in the State have received citizenship under the law so far. The State government plans to speed up hearings for petitioners and add those who receive certificates to the voter list during January enlisting. Earlier in August, figures stood at 2.30 lakh applications filed and 23,000 certificates issued.

Development Plans

Mr. Adhikari credited the Matua community's support for helping the Bharatiya Janata Party form the government after winning a majority of seats in Matua-dominated areas across North 24 Parganas and Nadia districts. He promised to reconstitute the Matua Development Board, allocating 50 crore rupees for community development this financial year. The Chief Secretary has also been directed to ensure Scheduled Caste certificates are issued smoothly to those holding CAA certificates.

Context

The Citizenship Amendment Act speeds up Indian citizenship for persecuted religious minorities from neighbouring countries who arrived by December 2014. State-level administrative processing involves local district authorities handling verification steps.