Guwahati: Assam has granted citizenship to two applicants under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), Parliamentary Affairs Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary stated in the State Assembly.

The CAA provides a fast-track process for granting citizenship to non-Muslim migrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan who arrived in India before December 31, 2014.

Out of 39 applications received under the CAA, two have been approved, 18 are still under review, and 19 have been closed/rejected.

However, applicants whose files have been closed can reapply for citizenship.

Speaking on the same lines, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma reported that 156 Bangladeshi nationals were caught entering Assam illegally between 2021 and 2024.

The number of such incidents rose from 51 in 2021 to 57 in 2022, decreased to 22 in 2023, and increased to 26 in 2024.

The CAA has faced opposition in Assam, with critics arguing that it could lead to an influx of Bengali Hindus from Bangladesh and undermine the National Register of Citizens (NRC).

The NRC aims to identify illegal immigrants in the state, with 19.06 lakh individuals excluded from the 3.3 crore applicants in the complete draft published in August 2019.