Amit Shah Directs Panel on Demographic Change to Focus on Border Districts

By Mahima Katal New Delhi, June 13: India's Home Minister Amit Shah has directed a high-level committee examining demographic changes across the country to prioritize the study of border districts, amid government concerns over illegal immigration and its impact on national security.

Chairing a meeting of the committee on Saturday, Shah instructed members to conduct field visits to border regions, metropolitan centres and industrial towns to assess population shifts linked to illegal migration and other factors that authorities have described as “unnatural causes,” government officials said.

The committee was established by the Ministry of Home Affairs last month to evaluate demographic changes across India and recommend policy responses.

The panel is headed by retired Supreme Court judge Justice Prakash Prabhakar Naolekar and includes Census Commissioner Mritunjay Kumar Narayan, former IAS officer Durga Shankar Mishra, former IPS officer Balaji Srivastava and economist Dr Shamika Ravi. The Joint Secretary (Foreigners-I) in the Home Ministry serves as the committee's member secretary.

Announcing the committee's formation in May, Shah described demographic change as a significant issue affecting India's sovereignty, national security, law and order, social structure and the preservation of tribal communities.

According to the government, the committee will undertake a scientific assessment of demographic shifts occurring in different parts of the country, identify their causes and recommend legislative, administrative and policy measures to address emerging challenges.

The panel's mandate includes examining the role of illegal immigration, cross-border activities, economic migration and socio-environmental factors in altering population patterns. It will also study what the government describes as abnormal settlement trends and organised migration.

Additionally, the committee will analyse population changes among religious and social communities, particularly in areas where demographic trends diverge significantly from broader national patterns.

As part of its recommendations, the committee is expected to propose a permanent operational framework for the identification, detention and deportation of illegal immigrants residing in India, while ensuring that the process remains legally compliant, fair and time-bound.

The initiative comes amid increasing political debate over migration, border security and demographic trends in several regions of the country, particularly in states bordering neighbouring nations.