Agencies | New Delhi:
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday announced that the Centre has constituted a high-level committee under retired Supreme Court judge Justice Prakash Prabhakar Naolekar to assess demographic changes across India arising from “illegal immigration and other unnatural causes.”
In a post on X, Shah said infiltration and other factors were contributing to “unnatural” demographic changes, which he described as a major challenge for both the present and future of the country.
“To address this challenge, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced the formation of a high-level committee on demographic change on August 15, 2025. I am pleased to inform that the government has now constituted this committee,” Shah said.
According to the Home Minister, the panel will be chaired by Justice Naolekar and will include the Census Commissioner, retired IAS officer Durga Shankar Mishra, former IPS officer Balaji Srivastava, and economist Dr Shamika Ravi as members. The Joint Secretary (Foreigners-I), Ministry of Home Affairs, will serve as the member secretary of the committee.
Shah said demographic change is a serious issue connected not only to national sovereignty but also to internal security, law and order, social structure, and the preservation of tribal communities.
“This committee will conduct a comprehensive assessment of demographic changes occurring across India due to illegal immigration and other unnatural causes, analyse patterns of abnormal population shifts at the levels of religious and social communities, and present a planned and time-bound solution,” he stated.
According to an official government statement, the committee will carry out a scientific evaluation of demographic changes taking place in different parts of the country due to illegal immigration and other unusual factors. It will examine the causes behind such changes and recommend policy, legislative, and administrative interventions.
The Terms of Reference of the committee include studying challenges arising from demographic changes, including illegal immigration, cross-border activities, economic migration, and socio-environmental factors.
The panel will also analyse structural population changes at the level of religious and social communities, especially where demographic patterns significantly deviate from broader national trends.
Additionally, the committee has been tasked with recommending a streamlined and permanent mechanism for the legal, fair, and time-bound identification, detention, and deportation of illegal immigrants residing in the country.
The government said the panel would also suggest measures to strengthen border management, population stabilisation systems, and institutional coordination between the Centre and states on matters related to illegal immigration and demographic imbalances.
The move follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks during his Independence Day address last year, where he announced a “high-powered demographic mission” to address demographic changes allegedly caused by illegal infiltration.
Speaking from the Red Fort, Modi had warned that “a well-thought-out conspiracy” was attempting to alter the country’s demography through illegal infiltration, particularly in border regions, which he said could create long-term national security challenges.
The committee is expected to submit recommendations aimed at developing a long-term framework to monitor and address demographic changes across the country.
