Explained:What is Inner Line Permit, and will it address N-E states’ concerns over CAB

News:Union Home minister has said that the Citizenship Amendment Bill,2016 would provide protection to such regions and states where the Inner Line Permit (ILP) is applicable.

Facts:

About Inner Line Permit(ILP):

• Inner Line Permit (ILP) is an official travel document issued by the government of India.It is required by Indian citizens residing outside certain protected states while entering them.
• The aim of the ILP is to regulate movement to certain areas located near the international border of India.
• The origin of ILP dates back to the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulations, 1873. 
• The regulations prohibited British subjects or Indians from entering certain protection areas (such as areas with tea, oil and elephant trade). In 1950, the word British subjects was replaced by Citizens of India.
• Currently,the ILP is in force in (a)Arunachal Pradesh (b)Mizoram and (c)Nagaland.

About Citizenship Amendment Bill,2016:

• The citizenship amendment Bill amends the Citizenship Act,1955 to make illegal migrants who belong to certain religious minorities (Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians) from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan, eligible for citizenship.
• The Bill seeks to reduce the requirement of 11 years of continuous stay in the country to six years to obtain citizenship by naturalization for these communities belonging to these 3 nations.
• The Bill also provides that the registration of Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders may be cancelled if they violate any law.

How Citizenship amendment bill has a connection with Inner Line Permit(ILP):

• The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill aims to make it easier for non-Muslim refugees from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan to obtain Indian citizenship. 
• If the bill is implemented with provisions for excluding from its ambit the states under the ILP regime, it means that beneficiaries under CAB will become Indian citizens but will not be able to settle in these three states.

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