Will Modi govt conduct Kargil Review Committee-type exercise on Pahalgam, asks Congress
Three days after the Kargil War ended, the Vajpayee Govt set up the Kargil Review Committee on July 29 1999. Its report was tabled in Parliament on Feb 23, 2000 athough sections of it have remained classified - as indeed they must.
The Committee was chaired by India's…
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Indian Express
5 hours ago
- Indian Express
How latest drive to deport illegal Bangladeshi immigrants stands out
Since Operation Sindoor was launched on May 7, Indian authorities have 'pushed back' more than 2,500 allegedly illegal Bangladeshi immigrants across the international border, What distinguishes this drive is the urgency and scale: the government has not only issued a 30-day deadline for verification of illegal immigrants, but identified individuals are now being transported in Indian Air Force aircraft from various states to border outposts. This has, however, raised concerns around due process, humanitarian issues, and pending litigation, especially reports of people being left in the no man's land between India and Bangladesh. Migration between what is now Bangladesh and India dates back to British times. * The colonial administration encouraged settlement in the then sparsely populated Assam by bringing in labourers from Bengal and North India. * Post-Partition, millions of refugees from East Pakistan, mostly Hindus, moved to India. Amid the brutal Pakistani crackdown on Bengalis, some 10 million people, mostly Hindus, sought refuge in India in 1971 alone. * Over the decades, economic migration from Bangladesh to India has continued, with many crossing the border into states like Assam and West Bengal in search of jobs. This influx has led to significant socio-political tension, particularly in Assam. While the India-Bangladesh border is largely fenced today, gaps remain, and illegal migration persists, with Bangladeshi workers visible in metropolitan labour markets across India. There is presently no official or universally accepted figure about the number of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants in India, and estimates have varied widely. In 2004, then MoS (Home) Sriprakash Jaiswal told Parliament that 12 million illegal Bangladeshi immigrants resided in India. (This claim was withdrawn following protests by the Assam and West Bengal governments.) Former RAW chief Sanjeev Tripathi, in a 2016 paper, estimated the number to be more than 15 million, based on comparisons of census data from Bangladesh and India from 1981 to 2011. The same year, MoS (Home) Kiren Rijiju told Parliament that 20 million illegal Bangladeshi immigrants were living in India, based on unofficial assessments. The deportation of illegal immigrants has been an enduring part of India's domestic policy, cutting across political lines. The UPA government too deported illegal Bangladeshi immigrants. RPN Singh, who served as MoS (Home) from 2012 to 2014, claimed in 2018 that the Manmohan Singh government had deported 82,000 immigrants. These efforts have further picked up under the Narendra Modi government, driven by both national security concerns and ideological motivations. In 2018, then-BJP president and current Union Home Minister Amit Shah had referred to Bangladeshi immigrants as 'termites'. Since 2018, the Modi government has also pursued a more tech-driven approach to the problem. * That year, it launched the portal to collect the biographic and biometric data of Rohingya immigrants. This was later expanded to include Bangladeshi immigrants as well. * In 2023, the government revamped this portal into the Foreigners Identification Portal (FIP) to capture more detailed profiles of suspected illegal immigrants. States/UTs and the Ministry of External Affairs were given access to the portal, which is used to upload and verify details of suspected illegal immigrants. If verification fails, deportation is initiated with help from the Foreigners' Regional Registration Offices (FRROs). * In 2023, the government also introduced a District Police Module on the Immigration Visa Foreigner Registration Tracking (IVFRT) portal to track overstaying foreigners. * Further, biometric capture infrastructure — fingerprint scanners, cameras, and computers — has been deployed across police stations, detention centres, and Border Out Posts (BOPs) of the BSF. A renewed push, novel strategy While the issue was never truly on the back burner, deportation drives have intensified following the terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22, and the beginning of Operation Sindoor on May 7. Currently, states such as Gujarat, Delhi, Assam, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan are rounding up identified illegal immigrants and transporting them to border points in Assam, Tripura, and Meghalaya. From here, they are 'pushed back' across the border by the Border Security Force (BSF). A senior security official told The Indian Express that such deportations have historically had limited success. 'The border is porous. These people often return,' he said. However, the current operation marks a more coordinated, digitised approach to the problem of illegal migration. With biometric data now captured on the FIP, the government hopes re-entry can be checked. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has also instructed authorities issuing Aadhaar, Voter ID, and Ration Card to cross-check applicants against the immigrant database before issuing documents. The MHA has set a 30-day deadline for States and UTs to verify suspected illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar. If verification fails, deportation proceedings will follow. An integrated server will support this process, bringing together data from the IVFRT system, the FIP portal, and the India-Myanmar Border Pass System. Some questions remain Questions around due process, humanitarian concerns, and bilateral sensitivities persist. As more people are rounded up and transported to the borders, courts and civil rights groups are likely to scrutinise the legal and ethical contours of this drive, especially in cases involving pending litigation or individuals caught in border limbo. On May 8, Bangladesh sent a diplomatic note to India registering its protest over the issue. Country's Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain said on Tuesday that another such note was in the works. 'We see it (deportation) is happening. It is not feasible to resist physically,' he said, stressing the need for diplomatic and legal processes to be followed in resolving consular issues. The issue has always been diplomatically sensitive. In a 2022 BSF-BGB meeting in Dhaka, the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) reportedly told India that illegal immigration from Bangladesh has reduced, largely due to economic improvements. At one point in 2020-21, Bangladesh's per capita income ($1,962) was higher than India's ($1,935) — a data point that complicates the narrative of large-scale economic migration.
Time of India
8 hours ago
- Time of India
Canada's new Bill C-3: How ‘Lost Canadians,' Indian diaspora may finally reclaim citizenship
By amending the Citizenship Act and addressing long-standing restrictions on citizenship by descent, Bill C-3 is set to provide a revolutionary change in Canada's citizenship regulations. For the Indian diaspora and other immigrant communities, this legislative action is especially important since it aims to address the issues experienced by "Lost Canadians" and extend citizenship rights beyond the first generation born outside. According to the existing Citizenship Act, Canadian citizens can only give their citizenship to children born outside of Canada if they were born in Canada or became citizens before the child was born. This "first-generation limit" has inadvertently kept many people from obtaining citizenship, especially those whose parents were also foreign-born and lived in Canada. As a result, many persons of Indian and other ethnic backgrounds have been left without a clear path to citizenship, despite having family in Canada. Read more: Best of the Gulf: 8 iconic landmarks in the GCC that will blow your mind Key provisions of Bill C-3 Bill C-3, which was introduced by Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab, intends to remove the first-generation limit, enabling Canadian residents to provide citizenship to their children who are born or adopted overseas, regardless of where they were born. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trading CFD dengan Teknologi dan Kecepatan Lebih Baik IC Markets Mendaftar Undo The bill states that the Canadian parent must have been physically present in Canada for at least 1,095 cumulative days (three years) prior to the child's birth or adoption in order to guarantee a true connection to Canada. The measure also aims to grant citizenship back to "Lost Canadians"—people who were denied citizenship or lost it as a result of out-of-date provisions in earlier includes those affected by the earlier Section 8 of the Citizenship Act, which had stringent requirements that led to unintentional exclusions. Read more: 3-year citizenship no more? Germany's new migration, visa freeze rules explained This legal amendment will have a substantial positive impact on the Indian community. The elimination of generational barriers will strengthen relationships and give their descendants simpler paths to citizenship, especially considering the large number of Indian-origin people living in Canada and their international family ties. This is particularly relevant given the difficulties Indians encounter in other nations, like the US, where immigration laws have gotten stricter. For Bill C-3 to become law, it must undergo the standard legislative process, including three readings in Parliament and receiving royal assent. Given the positive reception from immigrant communities and experts, there is optimism about its eventual enactment. Once passed, the bill will not only rectify past oversights but also reinforce Canada's commitment to inclusivity and recognition of its diverse populace. One step to a healthier you—join Times Health+ Yoga and feel the change
Time of India
12 hours ago
- Time of India
Indian diaspora to benefit as Canada proposes expansion of citizenship by descent
In a significant move expected to benefit the Indian diaspora and other immigrant communities, the Canadian government has introduced a new bill to remove the existing limit on citizenship by descent. The legislation, titled Bill C-3, was presented in Parliament on Thursday by Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab, as per a report by Lubna Kably in the Times of India. The current rule, introduced in 2009, restricts Canadian citizenship by descent to only the first generation born outside Canada. This means that a Canadian citizen who was themselves born outside Canada could not pass on their citizenship to a child born abroad. Similarly, they could not apply for direct citizenship for a child adopted overseas. The proposed bill aims to change this. According to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada ( IRCC ), 'As a result of the first-generation limit to citizenship by descent for individuals born abroad, most Canadian citizens who are citizens by descent cannot pass on citizenship to their child born or adopted outside Canada. The current first-generation limit to citizenship no longer reflects how Canadian families live today—here at home and around the world—and the values that define our country.' by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Infertile Man Visits Orphanage And Hears, 'Hi Daddy.' Then He Realizes His Late Wife's Cruel Lies Crowdy Fan Undo As per Lubna's report in TOI, the issue has drawn legal scrutiny in recent years. In January 2024, a Canadian court ruled the first-generation limit unconstitutional. The government chose not to appeal the ruling. Although similar legislation was proposed in March 2024 by then-Immigration Minister Marc Miller, it did not pass, prompting its reintroduction this week. (Join our ETNRI WhatsApp channel for all the latest updates) If passed, Bill C-3 would automatically grant citizenship to individuals who would have been eligible if not for the earlier restrictions. It also proposes a new system under which Canadian parents born abroad can pass on citizenship to their foreign-born children—provided the parent has lived in Canada for at least 1,095 days (or three years) before the child's birth or adoption. Live Events You Might Also Like: Canada's new bill to grant citizenship to thousands of people Ken Nickel-Lane, managing director of an immigration services firm, said to The Times of India, 'While Bill C-3 certainly addresses and rectifies a fault, or faults in the current Citizenship Act which certainly is warranted and just, it may face challenges given current public opinion towards immigration.' He added that the bill might put pressure on immigration quotas, potentially affecting temporary foreign workers critical to infrastructure and housing development. The IRCC has confirmed that, 'If the bill passes both Houses of Parliament and receives Royal Assent, we will work as quickly as possible to bring the changes into effect.' For many Indian-origin Canadians with children or adopted children born outside Canada, the bill—if passed—will mark a major shift in access to citizenship and legal status. You Might Also Like: Canada's first Express Entry draw under new Immigration Minister invites 277 applications
