Home Ministry Sets Up High-Level Committee On Demographic Changes
The panel has been mandated to recommend a well-organised and permanent operational system for the identification, detention, and deportation of illegal immigrants, reports Gautam Debroy.
Published : May 26, 2026 at 7:15 PM IST
New Delhi: Amid growing concerns over the impact of illegal immigration on governance, public services, border security and social cohesion, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Tuesday constituted a high-level committee to undertake a nationwide scientific study on demographic changes.
To be headed by retired Supreme Court judge Prakash Prabhakar Naolekar, the "High-Level Committee on Demographic Changes will include four other members — census commissioner, former IAS officer Durga Shankar Mishra, former IPS officer Balaji Srivastava and economist Shamika Ravi, while the joint secretary (Foreigners-I) in the MHA will serve as member secretary. The committee has been directed to submit its final report within one year.
A gazette notification issued by the MHA said the committee has been tasked with examining the "nature, causes and consequences" of demographic changes occurring across the country and recommending policy, administrative and legal measures to address the issue.
The notification, accessed by ETV Bharat, states the government observed that demographic shifts in certain regions were not attributable to "normal fertility or mortality trends" but were instead emerging due to "external abnormal factors such as illegal immigration, irregular population mobility, and administrative laxity".
The ministry said such changes were initially concentrated in border districts but have now spread to urban centres, industrial corridors, tribal regions and other socially and economically sensitive areas. It further noted that these demographic changes were affecting public service delivery, local governance, resource distribution and social harmony, while the existing institutional framework was not adequately equipped to undertake coordinated and evidence-based assessment of the issue.
The panel has been given wide-ranging powers to seek information and records from ministries, departments, state governments, public authorities and individuals. It may also constitute sub-committees and consult security agencies, local governments, academic institutions and social organisations during the course of its work.
The terms of reference assigned to the committee include studying the causes of demographic changes such as fertility variations, cross-border movement, illegal immigration, economic migration and socio-environmental factors. The committee will also examine structural changes in population composition among religious and social communities, especially where trends diverge sharply from broader national patterns.
One of the key mandates of the committee is to recommend a "well-organised and permanent operational system" for the legal, fair and time-bound identification, detention and deportation of illegal immigrants residing in the country.
The panel has also been tasked with suggesting institutional mechanisms to strengthen border management, population stabilisation measures and identification systems for long-term monitoring of demographic trends. Additionally, it will propose a comprehensive policy framework to improve coordination between the Centre and states on issues related to illegal immigration and demographic imbalance.
It is believed that the committee's recommendations could potentially influence future policy on border security, migration management, identity verification systems and population data monitoring. The headquarters of the committee would be located in New Delhi, and MHA would provide all administrative, logistical and secretarial support required for its functioning.
It is worth mentioning that during his speech at the Independence Day event in 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had warned of "well-planned conspiracies" by infiltrators to alter India's demographic balance, saying such actions threaten national security and undermine livelihoods for the country's youth.
"Demographic shifts have threatened our national security and fuel future unrest, particularly in sensitive border regions. Such threats to our sovereignty and stability will never be tolerated," he had said.
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