Centre has constituted a high-level committee to examine demographic changes in India arising from “infiltration and other unnatural causes”, Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced on Tuesday, saying the issue has implications for national security, sovereignty and social stability.
In a post on X, Shah said the committee was formed following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement on August 15, 2025, regarding the setting up of a “High-Level Committee on Demographic Change”.
The panel will be chaired by retired judge Justice Prakash Prabhakar Naolekar and include Census Commissioner, former IAS officer Durga Shankar Mishra, former IPS officer Balaji Srivastava and economist Dr Shamika Ravi as members. The Joint Secretary (Foreigners-I) in the Ministry of Home Affairs will serve as the member secretary.
According to Shah, the committee has been tasked with conducting a “comprehensive assessment” of demographic changes taking place across the country due to illegal infiltration and other “unnatural” factors. It will also study patterns of “abnormal population shifts” among religious and social communities and recommend “planned and time-bound solutions”.
“Infiltration and other reasons causing unnatural demographic change pose a very significant challenge to the present and future of any nation,” Shah said in his statement.
He added that demographic change was linked not only to sovereignty, but also to national security, law and order, changes in social structure and the preservation of tribal societies.
The announcement comes amid continued political debate over infiltration and demographic shifts in several states, particularly in border and tribal regions. The government, however, did not immediately specify the timeline within which the committee is expected to submit its report.
In a post on X, Shah said the committee was formed following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement on August 15, 2025, regarding the setting up of a “High-Level Committee on Demographic Change”.
The panel will be chaired by retired judge Justice Prakash Prabhakar Naolekar and include Census Commissioner, former IAS officer Durga Shankar Mishra, former IPS officer Balaji Srivastava and economist Dr Shamika Ravi as members. The Joint Secretary (Foreigners-I) in the Ministry of Home Affairs will serve as the member secretary.
According to Shah, the committee has been tasked with conducting a “comprehensive assessment” of demographic changes taking place across the country due to illegal infiltration and other “unnatural” factors. It will also study patterns of “abnormal population shifts” among religious and social communities and recommend “planned and time-bound solutions”.
“Infiltration and other reasons causing unnatural demographic change pose a very significant challenge to the present and future of any nation,” Shah said in his statement.
He added that demographic change was linked not only to sovereignty, but also to national security, law and order, changes in social structure and the preservation of tribal societies.
The announcement comes amid continued political debate over infiltration and demographic shifts in several states, particularly in border and tribal regions. The government, however, did not immediately specify the timeline within which the committee is expected to submit its report.
