NEW DELHI: Following up on PM Modi’s announcement in last year’s Independence Day speech, govt on Monday constituted a high-level committee to scientifically examine the nature, causes and impact of demographic changes across the country, including due to illegal immigration as well as abnormal population shifts at the levels of religious and social communities, and recommend policy, administrative and legal framework to address the problem in a time-bound manner.The high-level committee on demographic changes (HLCDC), to be headed by retired Supreme Court judge Prakash Prabhakar Naolekar, has been formed amid an intensified drive by BJP govts in Assam, West Bengal and other states to curb illegal immigration, which they see as a conspiracy to introduce demographic changes, and expel all infiltrators.Announcing the panel on Tuesday, Shah said on X, “Unnatural demographic changes caused by illegal immigration and other factors are a serious challenge to any country’s present and future… it is linked not only to our sovereignty, but also to national security, law and order, profound change in social structure, and the preservation of tribal groups.” Panel given a year to submit final report This follows the recent special intensive revision of electoral rolls by Election Commission, including in the border state of Bengal, which led to deletion of lakhs of ‘absent’ and ‘other’ electors – their details are already in public domain.HLCDC – tasked with recommending a permanent operational system for legal, fair and time-bound identification, detention and deportation of illegal immigrants in the country – comes at a time when BJP is in office in Assam, Tripura and Bengal.Sharing that census commissioner Mritunjay Kumar Narayan, retired IAS officer Durga Shankar Mishra, ex-IPS officer Balaji Srivastava and economist Shamika Ravi would be members of the committee, Shah said it will “conduct a comprehensive assessment of demographic changes occurring across India due to illegal immigration and other unnatural causes, analyse pattern of abnormal population shifts at the level of religious and social communities and present a planned and time-bound solution for the same”.The panel, which will be under the ministry of home affairs), has been given a year to submit its final report.Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma has launched an aggressive drive against infiltrators and has publicly vowed to push them back into Bangladesh. The newly elected BJP govt in Bengal has quickly got down to the task, with CM Suvendu Adhikari deciding to make land available to complete the fencing of the border with Bangladesh.Notifying the panel, MHA said demographic changes were visible in certain regions that are not attributable to normal fertility or mortality trends, but emerging due to “external abnormal factors such as illegal immigration, irregular population mobility and administrative laxity”.About the AuthorBharti JainBharti Jain is senior editor with The Times of India, New Delhi. She has been writing on security matters since 1996. Having covered the Union home ministry, security agencies, Election Commission and the ‘prime’ political beat, the Congress, for The Economic Times all these years, she moved to TOI in August 2012. Her repertoire of news stories delves into the whole gamut of issues related to terrorism and internal strife, besides probing strategic affairs in India’s neighbourhood.Read MoreEnd of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideos‘Unwarranted References’: India Blasts China, Pakistan Over Jammu-Kashmir RemarksTamil Nadu Vs Karnataka: Vijay Urges PM Modi To Reject Mekedatu Dam Proposal Ahead Of Delhi VisitHoney Singh Joins BJP Punjab Campaign Against Drugs, Meets Tarun ChughSuvendu Adhikari Calls For Fast Deportation Of Alleged Illegal Bangladeshi Infiltrators In BengalCongress Denies Karnataka CM Post Tussle After Siddaramaiah-DK Shivakumar Delhi MeetingSSC GD Exam: Furious Students Protest After Candidate Numbers Exceed Actual Seating CapacityCM Suvendu Adhikari Announces ₹5 Fish-Rice Meals, ₹3,000 Aid For Women In West BengalBJP Leader Annamalai Criticises Mid-Session Implementation Of Centre’s 3-Language RuleWhy The Quad’s Delhi Meet Could Reshape India’s Energy And Maritime StrategyTaiwan’s Stock Market Just Overtook India — And It’s Almost Entirely Because of One Company123Photostories7 everyday etiquettes every parent should teach their children from an early ageMrunal Thakur just made mint green the main character of festive fashion this yearHarmanpreet Kaur traded blue jersey energy for elegant desi glam at the Padma Awards 2026Top 2026 romance teen dramas that are book adaptations: From ‘Off Campus’ to ‘Love Hypothesis’Why does your hair feel so rough and frizzy in summer? 7 very common habits that are damaging itWhat’s inside the world’s top 10 airports? 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NEW DELHI: Following up on PM Modi’s announcement in last year’s Independence Day speech, govt on Monday constituted a high-level committee to scientifically examine the nature, causes and impact of demographic changes across the country, including due to illegal immigration as well as abnormal population shifts at the levels of religious and social communities, and recommend policy, administrative and legal framework to address the problem in a time-bound manner.The high-level committee on demographic changes (HLCDC), to be headed by retired Supreme Court judge Prakash Prabhakar Naolekar, has been formed amid an intensified drive by BJP govts in Assam, West Bengal and other states to curb illegal immigration, which they see as a conspiracy to introduce demographic changes, and expel all infiltrators.Announcing the panel on Tuesday, Shah said on X, “Unnatural demographic changes caused by illegal immigration and other factors are a serious challenge to any country’s present and future… it is linked not only to our sovereignty, but also to national security, law and order, profound change in social structure, and the preservation of tribal groups.” Panel given a year to submit final report This follows the recent special intensive revision of electoral rolls by Election Commission, including in the border state of Bengal, which led to deletion of lakhs of ‘absent’ and ‘other’ electors – their details are already in public domain.HLCDC – tasked with recommending a permanent operational system for legal, fair and time-bound identification, detention and deportation of illegal immigrants in the country – comes at a time when BJP is in office in Assam, Tripura and Bengal.Sharing that census commissioner Mritunjay Kumar Narayan, retired IAS officer Durga Shankar Mishra, ex-IPS officer Balaji Srivastava and economist Shamika Ravi would be members of the committee, Shah said it will “conduct a comprehensive assessment of demographic changes occurring across India due to illegal immigration and other unnatural causes, analyse pattern of abnormal population shifts at the level of religious and social communities and present a planned and time-bound solution for the same”.The panel, which will be under the ministry of home affairs), has been given a year to submit its final report.Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma has launched an aggressive drive against infiltrators and has publicly vowed to push them back into Bangladesh. The newly elected BJP govt in Bengal has quickly got down to the task, with CM Suvendu Adhikari deciding to make land available to complete the fencing of the border with Bangladesh.Notifying the panel, MHA said demographic changes were visible in certain regions that are not attributable to normal fertility or mortality trends, but emerging due to “external abnormal factors such as illegal immigration, irregular population mobility and administrative laxity”.
