Imphal, May 27 (IANS) Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh on Wednesday said the Centre’s decision to constitute a high-level committee to study demographic changes in the country was historic.

He expressed profound appreciation to the Central government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, for its decision to constitute the high-level committee.

Lauding the initiative as a historic step, the Chief Minister noted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s declaration of a “High-powered Demography Mission” on August 15, 2025, followed by the Union Cabinet’s approval on September 11, 2025, represents a historic and long-awaited intervention for the people of Manipur and other border states.

The Chief Minister also appreciated Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s statement that demographic change is a serious problem linked not only to India’s sovereignty but also to national security, law and order, major changes in the social structure, and the protection of tribal societies.

He assured that the Manipur government will extend full cooperation to the High-Level Committee, which will conduct a comprehensive assessment of the demographic changes occurring across India due to illegal immigration and other abnormal reasons.

Chief Minister Singh said the people of Manipur are deeply grateful to PM Modi and HM Amit Shah for their unwavering commitment to securing India’s borders and checking demographic imbalance.

Former Supreme Court Judge Justice Prakash Prabhakar Naolekar will be the Chairman of the High-Level Committee. In addition to the Census Commissioner, three distinguished experts — Durga Shankar Mishra (retired IAS), Balaji Srivastava (retired IPS), and Dr Shamika Ravi (economist) — will be the members of the committee.

The Joint Secretary (Foreigners-I), Ministry of Home Affairs, will be the Member Secretary of the Committee. This Committee will submit its report within one year. If necessary, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) may extend the tenure of the committee by up to six months.

Meanwhile, announcing the formation of the High Level Committee, Home Minister Shah on Tuesday said in a post on X, “Demographic Change is a serious issue linked not only to our sovereignty but also to national security, law and order, profound changes in social structure, and the preservation of tribal society.”

“This committee will conduct a comprehensive assessment of demographic changes occurring across India due to illegal immigration and other unnatural causes, analyse patterns of abnormal population shifts at the levels of religious and social communities, and present a planned and time-bound solution for the same,” the Home Minister stated.

–IANS

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