The Demographic Panel for the Study of Population Changes after the 2011 Census is preparing a detailed questionnaire for states

High Level Committee on Demographic Change with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi. | Photo credit: PIB

The High Level Committee on Demographic Change (HLCDC) headed by a former Supreme Court judge is set to send questionnaires to chief secretaries of all states to find out details of population changes and population growth since the last census in 2011, a government source told The Hindu.

“We will compare the 2011 census data with the current scenario to understand the extent of changes and also visit these areas. The questions are about the changes after the 2011 census,” the source said.

The final dates for the next post-2011 census, the 2027 Census, which is being conducted after 16 years, are not yet known.

The first phase of the 2027 Census – the House List and Housing Operations (HLO) – is currently being conducted in phases in several parts of the country, and the final phase, the population census, will be completed on March 1, 2027. The HLO can provide a true picture of the settlements and the preliminary population, which will close on September 30 and be determined on September 30.

The panel will also issue an email address where people can send suggestions or feedback about the exercise.

The panel will also ask the Election Commission of India (ECI) to provide the names of those excluded from the electoral roll during the Special Intensive Review (SIR) exercise and also the reasons for exclusion. Details of the exclusions would help the panel estimate the number of “illegal migrants” in the country, the source said.

SIR has been completed in 13 States and Union Territories (UTs) so far. The document-based electoral roll revision process has been criticized by the SIR for placing the burden of proof on the electorate, with 6.5 million names (around 11%) removed from electoral rolls across states where the total electorate before the SIR was 58.88 million.

On June 25, the panel met Home Minister Amit Shah and apprised him of their decision to visit states and interact with various Union ministries to get first-hand detailed information and feedback on topics related to demographic change, the home ministry said in a statement on January 1.

The minister, while appreciating the strategy devised by the panel, directed Union Home Minister Govinda Mohan to extend all possible assistance to the committee in its day-to-day work and also during its visits. Mr. Shah suggested that the panel should give its recommendation as soon as possible.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the “High Performance Demographic Mission” in his Independence Day speech on 15 August 2025. On 26 May, the ministry constituted a committee to study demographic changes due to illegal immigration and other abnormal reasons and to suggest measures to address these demographic changes.

The ministry’s announcement said the panel would also recommend “a well-organized and permanent operational system for the legal, fair and time-bound identification, detention and deportation of illegal immigrants already in the country.”

The ministry said the existing institutional framework is not well equipped to conduct a coordinated, evidence-based and time-bound assessment and response to such demographic changes, adding that demographic changes, including illegal immigration, have created widespread problems.

The panel is headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice Prakash Prabhakar Naolekar (Retd).

Census Commissioner Mritunjay Kumar Narayan; retired IAS officer Durga Shanker Mishra, who served as chief secretary of Uttar Pradesh; retired IPS officer Balaji Srivastava, who retired as director general of the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D); and Shamika Ravi, who is part of the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council, are members of the committee. The member secretary of the committee is the joint secretary (foreigners-I) in the ministry.

Published – 1 Jul 2026 21:27 IST