NEW DELHI: India has granted citizenship to nearly 19,000 people from five neighbouring countries in the last five years, most are from Bangladesh whose 15,036 nationals were given citizenship.
Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai, written reply, said those who were granted Indian citizenship belonged to Bangladesh, Pakistan, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan among the 18,999 people who got granted citizenship.
The highest number of Bangladeshi nationals — 14,864 people — were granted citizenship in 2015 under Section 7 of the Citizenship Act, 1955, following the signing of the Indo-Bangladesh land boundary agreement.
A total of 2,935 Pakistani, 914 Afghan and 113 Sri Lankan citizens and one Myanmar national were granted citizenship from 2014 to 2019, Rai said.