4 min readNew DelhiUpdated: May 26, 2026 06:29 PM IST
The government on Tuesday constituted a “High-Level Committee on Demographic Changes” (HLCDC) under the Ministry of Home Affairs “to undertake scientific study of the nature, causes and consequences of unnatural demographic changes occurring across the country and to recommend appropriate policy, administrative and legal measures”.
The committee will be chaired by retired Supreme Court judge Justice Prakash Prabhakar Naolekar and will include the Census Commissioner, former UP Chief Secretary Durga Shanker Mishra, former BPR&D chief Balaji Srivastava, and economist Dr Shamika Ravi as members. The Joint Secretary (Foreigners-I), MHA, will serve as the Member Secretary.
The notification said the panel may also consult local governments, security agencies, social organisations and academic institutions, and nominate other experts or agencies if required.
In a statement announcing the constitution of the committee, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said: “Infiltration and other reasons causing unnatural demographic change pose a very significant challenge to the present and future of any nation.”
Shah said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had first announced the proposed committee in his Independence Day address on August 15, 2025. “Demographic change is a serious issue linked not only to our sovereignty but also to national security, law and order, profound changes in social structure, and the preservation of tribal society,” he said, adding that the committee would conduct a “comprehensive assessment” of demographic changes occurring due to “illegal immigration and other unnatural causes”.
In his Independence Day speech last year, Modi had flagged what he described as “unnatural demographic imbalance” in some parts of the country and announced what he called a “Demographic Mission” to study the issue. He had linked demographic shifts to illegal infiltration, border security and stress on local resources, especially in border and tribal regions.
The committee’s constitution formalises a long-standing ideological and political pitch of the RSS and BJP, both of which have repeatedly raised concerns over demographic change allegedly driven by illegal immigration — particularly from Bangladesh — and differential fertility rates among communities. Over the years, BJP leaders have frequently used the term “ghuspaithiya” (infiltrator) in political campaigns, especially in eastern and northeastern states, arguing that unchecked infiltration alters electoral, social and cultural balances.
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According to the notification, demographic changes observed in certain regions are “not attributable to normal fertility or mortality trends” but are emerging due to “external abnormal factors such as illegal immigration, irregular population mobility, and administrative laxity”. While such changes are most visible in border districts, their effects have spread to “urban centres, industrial corridors, tribal regions, and other socially and economically sensitive areas”, affecting public service delivery, local governance, resource distribution and “social cohesion”, it said.
According to the terms of reference, the committee has been tasked with undertaking an “extensive consideration” of challenges arising from demographic changes, including due to illegal immigration. It will study possible causes such as fertility variations, cross-border movement, economic opportunities and socio-environmental factors.
The panel will also identify underlying drivers, including “illegal immigration, abnormal settlement patterns, and planned migration”, and analyse “structural population changes at the level of religious or social communities, especially those diverging from uniform trends”.
One of the key mandates of the committee is to recommend a “well-organized and permanent operational system” for the “legal, fair and time bound identification, detention, and deportation of illegal immigrants already residing in the country”.
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It has also been asked to propose mechanisms for strengthening border management, population stabilisation and identification systems for continuous monitoring of demographic trends.
The committee will further suggest a comprehensive policy framework to improve coordination between the Centre and states on issues relating to illegal immigration and “resultant demographic imbalance”. It has been given powers to seek information and records from ministries, state governments and public authorities, and is expected to submit its report within one year.
