Amit Shah directs demographic change panel to study population shifts in border districts

Union Home Minister Amit Shah directed a high-level committee on demographic change to conduct a detailed study of population shifts in India's border districts and assess their causes, including illegal immigration and other unnatural factors.

Chairing a meeting of the panel, Shah instructed members to visit border regions, metropolitan cities and industrial hubs to evaluate demographic changes and their implications. The committee has been tasked with examining how illegal migration and other factors may be influencing population patterns across the country.

The committee, headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice Prakash Prabhakar Naolekar, was constituted by the Ministry of Home Affairs to conduct a comprehensive assessment of demographic changes and recommend policy measures. Other members include former IAS officer Durga Shankar Mishra, former IPS officer Balaji Srivastava, Census Commissioner officials and economist Dr. Shamika Ravi.

According to the Home Ministry, the panel will analyse abnormal population shifts at religious and social community levels, identify underlying causes such as illegal immigration, cross-border activities and organised migration, and suggest legislative, administrative and policy interventions.

The committee will also recommend mechanisms for the identification, detention and deportation of illegal immigrants residing in the country. Shah has previously described demographic change as a critical issue linked to national security, sovereignty, law and order, social stability and the preservation of tribal communities.

The panel is expected to submit recommendations aimed at creating a structured and time-bound framework to address demographic challenges while ensuring compliance with legal and constitutional provisions.