A high-level committee on demographic changes on Wednesday informed Home Minister Amit Shah that it will visit states to gather first-hand, ground-level inputs. The panel will also interact with Central Government ministries to obtain feedback on issues related to demographic changes.
Committee members told Shah that a detailed questionnaire has been prepared and will be shared with states in advance of the visits. This, they said, will help make the interactions more meaningful and productive.
Official sources said Shah appreciated the committee’s strategy and directed Home Secretary Govind Mohan to extend all possible assistance to its members.
The Home Minister also suggested that the committee submit its recommendations on the issue at the earliest.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced the setting up of a high-level demographic mission during his Independence Day address last year. Subsequently, the Centre constituted a committee to study demographic changes arising from illegal immigration and other abnormal factors, and to recommend measures to address them.
Justice Prakash Prabhakar Navlekar (retd) is the chairman of the committee. The committee also comprises Census Commissioner Mrityunjay Kumar Narayan and three distinguished persons — former IAS officer Durga Shankar Mishra, former IPS officer Balaji Srivastava and Shamika Ravi, a member of the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council.
The committee has been tasked with scientifically assessing demographic changes taking place in various parts of the country due to illegal immigration and other abnormal factors, analysing their causes, and recommending appropriate policy, legislative and administrative measures.
