NEW DELHI: The high-level committee tasked with studying demographic changes in the country, including those triggered by illegal immigration, informed home minister Amit Shah on Wednesday that it had finalised a detailed questionnaire to seek relevant information from the states and Union territories ahead of field visits, so as to make its on-the-spot analyses more meaningful and interactive. Making a courtesy call on Shah at his residence here, the committee led by Justice (Retd) Prakash Prabhakar Navlekar shared its decision to visit states/UTs that have witnessed a change in demographic patterns over the years, and gather first-hand, ground-level details from their respective govts and administrative machinery. The committee will be holding interactions with various ministries of the Central govt as well, to hear feedback on subjects and issues related to demographic changes. The home minister, while appreciating the strategy prepared by the high-level committee, directed home secretary Govind Mohan to extend all possible assistance, facilitation and resources to the Committee for its day-to-day working and also its spot visits. Shah requested the panel to compile and submit its recommendations at the earliest. These recommendations, going by the terms of reference of the committee notified in May, shall outline a permanent operational mechanism to identify, detain and deport illegal immigrants; an institutional system to strengthen border management and ensure population stabilisation; and a policy framework to enhance Centre-state coordination in matters related to illegal immigration and the resulting demographic imbalances. Apart from Justice Navlekar, the committee includes the census commissioner, retired IAS officer Durga Shankar Mishra, ex-IPS officer Balaji Srivastava and economist Shamika Ravi. The high-level committee on demographic changes was set up in May 2026, following up on a suggestion made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his 2025 Independence-Day speech. Its mandate is to scientifically assess the extent of demographic changes occurring in various parts of the country and the underlying factors including illegal immigration, abnormal settlement patterns and orchestrated migration. The panel has also been tasked with analysing the structural population shifts at the level of religious and social communities, particularly where they deviate from broader trends. The committee was asked to submit its report within one year, analysing the causes behind the demographic changes and laying down recommendations regarding appropriate policy, legislative, and administrative interventions.
