Porvorim: Karachi-born Shane Sabastian Pereira entered Indian borders to live in his ancestral village in Goa just four months after his birth. However, it took him a 43-year-long struggle to obtain Indian citizenship.
Pereira became the second Goan to receive Indian citizenship under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) on Tuesday, following Joseph Francis Pereira, another Pakistani citizen who was granted the certificate in August this year.
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant handed over the certificate to the 43-year-old Shane Sebastian Pereira on Tuesday, officially recognising his Indian citizenship.
The certificate mentions that Shane is registered as a Citizen of India under the provisions of Section 6B, fulfilling the conditions under Section 5(1)(c) of the Citizenship Act, 1955, with effect from the date of his entry into India.
Speaking to reporters after the ceremony, Sawant addressed concerns raised by some, including a section of the media, questioning how the CAA amendment would benefit Goans.
“Shane is the second Goan to receive this certificate, and many others have applied, with their applications currently under process,” he said adding that the CAA is going to benefit many Goans.
Sawant further stated that Shane’s application for Indian citizenship under the CAA was approved within three months. He said that the decision to implement the CAA by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah would help Hindus, Christians, Jains, Parsis, Buddhists, and Sikhs stranded in countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan.
Shane, originally from Demello Wado, Anjuna in North Goa, said his parents had migrated to Karachi, where he was born in August 1981. Four months after his birth, the family moved back to Goa, where he completed his schooling. Shane married Maria Gloria Fernandes, an Indian citizen, in 2012.
He shared that he had made several attempts over the years to obtain Indian citizenship but had been unsuccessful. “Finally, inspired by Mr. Joseph (the first person to receive the CAA certificate in Goa), I applied again for citizenship,” Shane added.
