Federal Home Minister Amit Shah said on Tuesday that the Center has formed a “high-level committee” headed by a retired Supreme Court judge to study demographic changes arising from illegal migration and recommend measures to deal with these challenges.
An official statement said that the committee was given a year to submit its report. The MHA may extend the term of the committee for up to six months.
“Illegal infiltration and other reasons leading to unnatural demographic change pose a very big challenge to the present and future of any country. To deal with this challenge, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a ‘High-Level Committee on Demographic Change’ on August 15 last year. I am happy to inform that the government has now constituted this committee,” Shah said in a post on his X account on Tuesday.
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Shah said the committee will be headed by Justice Prabhakar Nolikar (retd). Apart from the Census Commissioner, an official release said that former Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary Durga Shankar Mishra, former Delhi Police Commissioner Balaji Srivastava and economist Shamika Ravi will be expert members of the committee.
The Joint Secretary (Foreigners Unit), Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) will serve as Secretary of the Committee.
An official statement by the Ministry of Interior stated that the proposal to form the committee was approved by the Federal Cabinet on September 11, 2025.
“This committee will make a comprehensive assessment of the demographic changes occurring across India due to illegal migration and other unnatural causes, and analyze the patterns of unnatural causes. It will analyze the patterns of population changes at the religious and social community levels, and will provide a well-planned and time-bound solution to address the issue,” Shah said.
MHA said the committee will scientifically evaluate demographic changes resulting from illegal immigration and other unnatural factors, analyze their causes, and recommend appropriate legislative and administrative policies and measures.
According to the terms of reference of the eight-point committee, the ministry said it will comprehensively discuss challenges arising from demographic changes, including illegal immigration; Examine potential causes of these demographic changes, such as cross-border activities (including illegal migration), economic opportunities, and other social and environmental factors; Identify the underlying factors behind these changes, which include illegal immigration, abnormal settlement patterns, and organized migration; Analyze structural population changes at the level of religious or social communities, especially when they deviate from broader trends; Recommend a streamlined and permanent operational mechanism for the lawful, fair and time-bound identification, detention and deportation of irregular migrants already residing in the country, and recommend an appropriate institutional mechanism to strengthen border management, population stabilization and identification systems for continuous monitoring of these trends.
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The committee will also propose “a comprehensive policy framework to enhance coordination between the central and state governments on issues related to illegal migration and the resulting demographic imbalances; besides recommending any other measures it deems appropriate to address the challenges arising from demographic changes, including illegal migration.”
In his speech on 15 August 2025, Modi described the infiltration as a “calculated plot” to change the demographics of the country and announced the establishment of this high-level “demographic mission” to address what he described as a massive crisis.
“The demographics of the country are being changed as part of a calculated conspiracy. A new crisis is being created. These intruders are snatching employment opportunities for our youth,” Modi said in his speech, accusing illegal immigrants of criminal activities.
The government issued a new Immigration and Foreigners Law last year, which came into effect from September 1, 2025. The law applies to all foreign nationals, including those who entered the country without valid travel documents or overstayed their visa.
