After setting up an online portal under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), 2019, the Union home ministry has announced the launch of a helpline number to assist applicants. The helpline will provide support and information related to the new law. CAA applicants will be able to make free calls from anywhere in India to obtain information through the helpline. The helpline number will be available from 8 am to 8 pm. The ministry had recently notified the rules under the CAA. The CAA allows Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Christian, and Parsi refugees who came to India before December 31, 2014, from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan to acquire Indian citizenship without a valid passport from these countries or an Indian visa. The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019 was passed in Parliament in December 2019. The Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha both passed the bill amid protests against the CAA. In response to the protests, the ministry released a statement emphasizing that Indian Muslims have equal rights and no citizen would be asked to produce documents to prove their citizenship.