New Delhi: Indian banks may ask depositors and customers to list their religion, The Times of India reported.
The information may be required after the Reserve Bank of India made changes to a banking law that allows selected non-residents to open bank accounts and own property, the report said.
Amendments to the Foreign Exchange Management Regulations will let immigrant Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians — all minorities from neighboring Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan — own property and open accounts in India.
Muslims from those countries were excluded, as were atheists and people from other neighboring countries or regions such as Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Tibet, the paper said.
Citizenship law
The changes are similar to a new law introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government that bars Muslims from neighboring countries from seeking Indian citizenship. That law, seen as a precursor to a nationwide citizenship register to weed out illegal migrants, has led to large-scale violent protests that have crossed religious lines, and drawn a crackdown by authorities.
The protests comes amid India’s slowest economic growth in more than six years, rising unemployment and growing unease fueled by a series of surprise government decisions. Modi and Home Affairs Minister Amit Shah scrapped seven decades of autonomy for the Muslim-majority region of Kashmir, and announced plans for a nationwide registry that would require people to prove their citizenship. The law has raised fears about potential damage to the ethos of secularism and religious equality enshrined in India’s Constitution.
Before the amendments to the banking law, a foreigner could open accounts regardless of religion or country of origin. Foreigners who resided in India for more than six months — and who weren’t citizens of Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, China, Iran, Nepal, or Bhutan — previously were able to buy residential property, the Times report said.
The changes were made last year but went unnoticed, the report said. The RBI didn’t respond to questions from the Times, the paper said. -Bloomberg
Also read: BJP plan for pan-India NRC began with population register but could now be dead-on-arrival
Every sovereign nation has a right to restrict and regulate entry and even exit from that nation. It is not a ” free for all” entry like I. India where illegal immigrants just walked accross from neighbouring countries, esp from Bangladesh for lively hood and from PAK for their terrorist activities! Bcz porous border in NE, and policies and politics of the previous Cong regimes and of the Communist and TMC policies lakhs of ppl have entered India, illegally, got voter card and even Aadhar cards with the help of those parties. They supported settlrement of even Rohingyas recently. VOTE is what Matters to them! They are their vote banks, no matter even if it is at the cost of the nation’d security.
The present be govt is trying to tighten entry of illegal immigrants into India, which us is it’s duty. They also trying to identify illegal immigrants who came into India after certain date and send them back This rule doesn’t affect any community who are bonafide citizens of India. The process may involve some difficulty and hardship for ppl of a particular community, if they don’t have documents. Several alternative documents and methods of proving one’s citizenship. Govt can’t declare a citizen as ” illegal” just casually. Adequate opportunity would be given to show that one is a bonafide citizen. No genuine citizen need to fear.
If in the process illegal immigrants are identified, they may be seen back to their respective countries!
Why make a big issue of this d and instigate minorities, destroy public property?;
Caa, nrc will good for indian .
Despite the clarification by the RBI that no such thing is being thought of, rumor mongering has started. All opposed to Modi have united to create a narrative of Hindu- Muslim division by this government, through rumor mongering. This article falls in this pattern. But anyways, this comment will not be cleared by the editorial team.
I quite agree with this comment. A major part of media is in the control of ppl who have an agenda to show India in bad light and serve the purposes of foreign countries, inimical to India. During Congress regime the media was sanitised to suit their own narrative. It is now almost an offence to say one is a ” Patriot and say Hi Hind!
Ppl must identify such media houses, journos and online news portals and avoid reading them.
Those opposing CAA should go to these countries and persuad their governments to amend the constitution so as to become secular countries I pray they come alive back to India
What’s the logic?? You prove that you are a supporter of BJP!
Why would a citizen of India go to another country to tell what they must do.
Specially when, while framing their Constitution, they chose to be country with religious identity.
Excellent…. really some stupid ideas by govt…. rather then make us more professional they are creating fundamentals….
They shuld rather tell people about have less children give them good upbringing…..make them responsible citizens……
I think we can never again chase again China…..that would remain be a dream….
Thanks makeing us the stupid dreamer s….
CAA and NRC MUST BE IMPLEMENTED .IT IS GOOD for future of our COUNTRY
Sure! it’ll be good for true anti-Indians.
As CAA & NRC combo will make India a perfect breading ground for hatred for minorities today and cast tomorrow., discrimination, injustice, unemployment and finally lead towards dictatorship.
People of India are United and are against CAA and NRC. They will NEVER allow the government to implement it..
Except for Psychopaths in pwoer and their supporters, India is still a home for people who respect the very idea of Secularism given by the Constitution of India.
I thank those who come forward to protect the idea/law based on hatred.
#SecularIndia
#IndianAgainstCAA&NRC
Government is trying to divert people’s mind from real big issues like Economic Crisis,, Unemployment,, Prices,, Education etc.. but We Indians will not fall prey to their cunning tactics.. Long Live India..
Only some dullards think that CAA is right.
ANOTHER ACT TO DIFFERENTIATE PEOPLE BY THEIR RELIGION… RBI LOST ITS MIND …
CAB and NRC is must.If any good thing is implimented offenders try to stop it.Govt must go ahead without any prejudice and 2nd thought.
No more imported money in our own country.
Both the Americans and the British had insisted in their glory days that black and tribal women be topless. The SOB;s had no reason for demanding such a stupid law. The power drunk RSS too is along the same path. Standing behind a tree it orders its soldiers to bring Vedas in to IIT to reconstruct the pushpak viman, make Hindi as National language, drive out the Muslims under some stoopid reason or the other. Power makes you drunk but too much power makes you………….
You are absolutely right