Centre forms high-level committee on demographic change

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday announced that a High-Level Committee on Demographic Change has been formed to examine demographic shifts across the country caused by illegal immigration and other “unnatural” factors.

The committee will be chaired by retired Justice Prakash Prabhakar Naolekar and will include former IAS officer Durga Shankar Mishra, former IPS officer Balaji Srivastava, economist Shamika Ravi, and the Census Commissioner.

The Joint Secretary (Foreigners-I) in the Ministry of Home Affairs will serve as the Member Secretary.

"This committee, chaired by Justice Prakash Prabhakar Naolekar (Retd), will include Census Commissioner along with Shri Durga Shankar Mishra (Retd IAS), Shri Balaji Srivastava (Retd IPS), and Dr. Shamika Ravi as members. The Joint Secretary (Foreigners-I), Ministry of Home Affairs, will serve as the Member Secretary of this committee," Shah said in a post on X.

"Demographic Change is a serious issue linked not only to our sovereignty but also to national security, law and order, profound changes in social structure, and the preservation of tribal society. This committee will conduct a comprehensive assessment of demographic changes occurring across India due to illegal immigration and other unnatural causes, analyze patterns of abnormal population shifts at the levels of religious and social communities, and present a planned and time-bound solution for the same," he added.