Last Updated on June 25, 2026 11:41 am by BIZNAMA NEWS
Our Correspondent / New Delhi
The All India Feminist Alliance (ALIFA), affiliated with the National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM), has expressed serious concerns over the Union Home Ministry’s recent decision to constitute a High-Level Committee on Demographic Change, urging the government to review its mandate and ensure that any study of population trends is guided by constitutional values, scientific evidence, and human rights principles.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the alliance said the committee’s Terms of Reference (ToR) appear to place disproportionate emphasis on issues related to illegal immigration while overlooking broader demographic challenges facing the country. According to ALIFA, the committee’s framework risks reducing a complex and multifaceted subject to questions of migration, border control, detention, and deportation.
The committee, notified by the Centre on May 26, 2026, is headed by retired Justice Prakash Prabhakar Navlekar and includes former IAS officer Durga Shankar Mishra, former IPS officer Balaji Srivastava, economist Dr. Shamika Ravi, and the Census Commissioner as members. The panel was constituted following the Prime Minister’s announcement of a “High-Powered Demography Mission” in August last year.
ALIFA noted that references to “illegal immigration” and “illegal migrants” appear prominently in most of the committee’s action points. The organisation argued that demographic studies traditionally encompass a wide range of issues, including fertility rates, mortality, ageing populations, migration patterns, urbanisation, gender ratios, family structures, and regional population shifts.
The alliance said a comprehensive demographic review should examine the socio-economic factors driving these changes and assess their implications for governance, development, and social welfare. Instead, it claimed, the committee’s mandate appears to presume a link between demographic change and illegal immigration, potentially predetermining the outcome of the exercise.
According to the statement, concerns are particularly heightened by provisions calling for the analysis of population changes among religious and social communities. ALIFA argued that such an approach, when combined with repeated references to demographic imbalance and illegal immigration, could contribute to the stigmatisation of minority communities and deepen social divisions.
The organisation also cautioned that population-related anxieties have historically led to increased surveillance and control over women’s reproductive choices and have often been used to justify discriminatory policies against vulnerable groups. It maintained that demographic policymaking should focus on ensuring equality, social justice, and inclusive development rather than creating narratives of demographic threat.
ALIFA further called for greater transparency and methodological independence in any demographic study undertaken by the government. It urged authorities to defer the committee’s work until the completion of the ongoing national Census, arguing that a reliable and updated demographic database is essential for formulating sound public policy.
The alliance said the Census would provide a comprehensive baseline for understanding India’s evolving population dynamics and enable policymakers to address demographic challenges through evidence-based interventions. Proceeding without such data, it warned, could lead to flawed conclusions and policy recommendations.
Calling for a reconsideration of the committee’s objectives and mandate, ALIFA urged the government to ensure that demographic policy remains rooted in constitutional principles, scientific inquiry, and respect for human rights.