96 SECTION III. 4. India should amend its citizenship laws to implement more flexible naturalisation routes India is obligated under international law on statelessness to naturalise stateless persons in Indian territory. This applies to persons who were stateless when they arrived in India and have been residing in the country since then. Naturalisation would fulfil the obligation to prevent and reduce statelessness by operationalising their right to nationality. The present practice of examining elements such as the length of the stay in the territory, place of birth, family situation, establishment of permanent residence in the country, integration within society, share of a common culture, knowledge of the language and history would prove ineffective as a blanket solution to the issue. Given the socio-economic deprivation of stateless persons, they may be left out if the authorities exercise their discretion on the above-mentioned elements. The 2003 Sri Lankan law on grant of nationality shall be followed as the best practice. NGOs and legal aid organisations could play a role in enumerating the potential beneficiaries and assist them in accessing the resultant citizenship documents. SECURING CITIZENSHIP