Panaji: Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Monday granted Indian citizenship to Pakistan-born Brenden Valentine Crasto, who traces his roots to the coastal state and is presently residing in Anjuna after marrying an Indian national.
Sawant handed over the citizenship certificate to Brenden who was present along with his entire family for the function held at Mantralaya, Porvorim.
The 44-year-old was granted Indian Citizenship under the recently Citizenship (amendment) Act, 2019 which entitles Indian Citizenship to the persons belonging to Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Parsi and Christian communities of Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan who came to India before December 31, 2014.
Talking to reporters, chief minister said that the Goa authorities had received application from Brenden Valentine Crasto is a Pakistani citizen currently residing in Anjuna, North Goa.
“Brenden is married to an Indian Citizen Mrs Merilyn Fernandes in the year 2014 and residing in India continuously since December 02, 2006,” he said.
The chief minister said that it the privilege to give him Indian citizenship under section 6B of the Citizenship Act, 1955 who is also married to a citizen of India fulfilling the conditions under Section 5(1)(c) of the act.
This is not the first case in Goa to grant Indian Citizenship under CAA.
In the month of August, 2024, Pakistan-born Joseph Francis Pereira (78) became the first person in the coastal state to get Indian Citizenship under this Act.
