Committee to study illegal immigration gets Cabinet nod

NEW DELHI: Moving fast on PM Modi's Independence Day announcement , the Union Cabinet has approved the setting up of a high-level committee (HLC) which will study and suggest measures to deal with demographic changes arising from illegal immigration . It will also study "other abnormal causes" for the issue which Modi has called a security challenge.

TOI has learnt that the proposal got the go-ahead in the last Cabinet meeting held Sept 10. Sources said home minister Amit Shah had briefed Cabinet colleagues about the setting up of the HLC in light of illegal immigration, particularly in border areas. The details of the panel's composition and timeline for recommendations are not yet known. Sources added that soon, there would be a detailed notification about the HLC, including the terms of reference. The panel may have some representation from bordering states.

In his last Independence Day speech, the PM had announced the launch of a 'High-Power Demography Mission' to address the "severe crisis" of a "deliberate conspiracy" to alter the country's demography.