New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah has described illegal infiltration into India as a major challenge, saying it has contributed to “unnatural” changes in population patterns.
In a statement, Shah said infiltration and the factors driving abnormal demographic change pose significant challenges for the country’s present and future.
He recalled that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced on August 15 last year that a high-level committee would be formed to study demographic change. The Central government has now constituted the panel.
The committee will be headed by retired judge Prakash Prabhakar Naulekar. Its members include the Census Commissioner, former IAS officer Durga Shankar Mishra, former IPS officer Balaji Srivastava and Dr Shamika Ravi, with a Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs serving as Member-Secretary.
According to Shah, demographic change is a serious issue linked not only to sovereignty but also to national security, law and order, deep shifts in social structure, and the protection of tribal communities. The panel will conduct a detailed study of demographic changes across India caused by illegal migration and other unnatural factors, analyse unusual population movements across religious and social levels, and propose remedies.
