New Delhi, Jan 31 (IANS): President Ram Nath Kovind on Friday said that with the passing of the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019, the government has fulfilled the will of Mahatma Gandhi and condemned the atrocities being perpetrated on minorities in Pakistan.

Addressing the joint sitting of Parliament ahead of the Budget Session, the President said, "I am happy that the will of the Father of the Nation has been fulfilled by enacting Citizenship Amendment Act by both Houses of the Parliament."

Kovind also condemned the atrocities on the minority communities in Pakistan and "urged the world community to take cognizance of this and take necessary steps in this regard".

The President also stressed that the government makes it clear that the procedures which were there earlier for people of all religions, who believed in India and want to take citizenship of India, are the same today.

"A person of any creed can complete these processes and become a citizen of India. The government has made several provisions for granting citizenship to refugees in any region and especially in the northeast," he said.

The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019, which provides for Indian citizenship to persons belonging to religious minority groups persecuted in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, was passed by Parliament in December last year during the Winter Session.

The Lok Sabha passed the Citizenship Amendment Bill on December 9 while the Rajya Sabha passed it on December 12.