10 Years of Indian Citizenship: Reflections on the 2015 India-Bangladesh Land Pact

Swift Summary

• Background: asma Bibi and 14,853 residents of erstwhile Bangladeshi enclaves in India became Indian citizens under the 2015 Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) between India and Bangladesh. Similarly, 111 Indian enclaves were ceded to Bangladesh.

• Rights Gained: Residents received citizenship benefits such as Aadhaar cards, electricity, ration cards, voting rights, and access to government hospitals.

• Unresolved Issues:

– Lack of land/property registration hampers legal ownership for many families.
– Absence of schools, anganwadi centres, adequate health services.
– no affirmative progress schemes targeting these marginalized communities.

• Migration & Detentions:

– Half the residents have migrated for work due to limited local job opportunities.Migrants have faced detentions on suspicion of being illegal Bangladeshi nationals despite valid documents like Aadhaar and voter IDs.

• Social Frustrations:

– Youth express dissatisfaction regarding lack of skills training or vocational opportunities; many plan migration for livelihood.
– Celebrations marking enclave swap independence day on July 31 witness declining participation over time.

• Government Housing Concerns: Residential apartments built in Dinhata settlement camp are poorly maintained; some residents have left while others struggle without proper documentation confirming housing ownership.

Indian Opinion Analysis

the transition from enclave residency to full citizenship post-LBA has brought significant formal rights but remains incomplete without meaningful socio-economic integration. Persistent issues wiht land registration highlight administrative bottlenecks that prevent secure property ownership-a fundamental aspect of responsible governance. The absence or poor state of essential facilities like schools and health centers further illustrates gaps in developmental planning specific to these communities.

Migration trends among youth signal a failure to create localized employment opportunities or introduce tailored skill-building programs-urgent needs given the historical struggle for independence experienced by these groups. While they gained recognition as citizens after decades-long hardships, their challenges are compounded by suspicions toward their legitimacy during migration journeys elsewhere in India-revealing broader social prejudices tied to identity politics around border-sharing regions.

Continued neglect risks fostering disillusionment about promises made during bilateral negotiations while undermining public enthusiasm connected with milestone achievements like LBA’s consequences over time emotionally diminishing once-celebratory Independence commemorations (July). Thus deeper investment into both evidence-backed reforms alongside confidence-building outreach might stabilize communal growth-long overdue spheres targeting cooperative solutions together governments too political consensus ensuring enduring uplift eventually bridging concerns related heritage-marginalized transitions mission ahead inspiring posterity winning mutually fulfilling destinies alike situations calls duty fairness justice behalf engaged fraternity-wide stakeholders-centered compassion equity vital!

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