Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Wednesday handed over the Indian citizenship certificate to a 78-year-old Pakistani Christian under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, making him the first such person from the coastal state.

Joseph Francis Pereira went from Goa to Pakistan for studies before liberation and subsequently took up a job there. He attained Pakistani citizenship and lived in Karachi before returning to India in 2013.

The chief minister said that though Pereira was married to a Goan woman, he faced hurdles in getting Indian citizenship till the central government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi amended the Citizenship Act, 1955. He gave the certificate to Pereira in the presence of state tourism minister Rohan Khaunte.

The CAA was enacted in December 2019 to grant Indian nationality to persecuted non-Muslim migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan who came to India on or before December 31, 2014. These include Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis and Christians.

The 1946-born Pereira is married to Maria from the coastal state and entered India on September 11, 2013, after retirement, according to government records.

Originally from Paroda village in South Goa, Pereira now resides in Cansualim, in the same district, with his family.

CM Sawant told reporters that Pereira is the first Goan to get this certificate, but many people across India have taken advantage of the amendment in CAA, to get Indian nationality.

He said there are many Goans who can be given citizenship in a similar way under the CAA.

As per the certificate, Pereira has been registered as a Citizen of India under the Provisions of Section 6B and fulfilling the conditions under section 5 (1)(c) of the Citizenship Act, 1955 with effect from the date of entering India.

Sawant said that the Goa Home Department has begun surveying such people. "If anyone is eligible for the certificate, they can contact the government", he added.

Source: India Today