New Delhi: The Centre has constituted a high-level expert committee to examine demographic changes in the country linked to illegal immigration and what it described as “other unnatural causes”, Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced on Tuesday.
The move follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement during his Independence Day address in 2025 regarding the formation of such a panel.
According to Shah, the committee will be headed by retired Justice Prakash Prabhakar Naolekar. Its members include officials from the Census Commissioner’s office, former IAS officer Durga Shankar Mishra, retired IPS officer Balaji Srivastava, and economist Shamika Ravi. The Joint Secretary (Foreigners-I) in the Ministry of Home Affairs will serve as the Member Secretary.
In a post on X, Shah said demographic changes caused by infiltration and other factors pose a serious challenge to the country’s future. He stated that the committee would conduct a detailed assessment of abnormal population shifts across religious and social communities and recommend planned and time-bound solutions.
The government said the issue is closely linked to national security, sovereignty, law and order, social structure, and the protection of tribal communities.