Jammu, Aug 10: A four-member government-constituted committee tasked with studying demographic changes in different parts of the country arrived here on Monday for a three-day visit, officials said.
Soon after the team’s arrival, which is scheduled to undertake a detailed assessment of various areas during its stay, Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo and Director General of Police (DGP) Nalin Prabhat visited the panel at a hotel for a meeting, the officials said.
They said the meeting is part of the panel’s consultations with senior officials as it gathers inputs for its assessment.
In May, the central government constituted a high-level committee headed by retired Justice Prakash Prabhakar Navlekar to study demographic changes arising from illegal immigration and other abnormal reasons, and to suggest measures to these changes.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced the “High-powered Demography Mission” on August 15 last year, which was approved by the Union Cabinet on September 11.
In addition to the Census Commissioner, three distinguished experts — Durga Shankar Mishra (Retired IAS), Balaji Srivastava (Retired IPS), and Shamika Ravi — are the members of the Committee.
The Joint Secretary (Foreigners-I), Ministry of Home Affairs, is the Member Secretary of the Committee.
The officials said the four-member panel reached Jammu and a presentation was given on demographic overview and changing trends before the arrival of the chief secretary and the DGP to meet the committee, which will continue its engagements till August 12.
The officials said the committee is scheduled to visit several areas of Jammu, including settlements inhabited by Rohingya and Bangladeshi immigrants, as well as areas along the International Border considered sensitive from security and administrative perspectives.
The Rohingyas are a Bengali-dialect-speaking Muslim minority in Myanmar. Following persecution in their country, many of them entered India illegally through Bangladesh and took shelter in Jammu and other parts of the country.
According to government data, over 13,700 foreigners, including Rohingya Muslims and Bangladeshi nationals, are settled in Jammu and Samba districts of Jammu and Kashmir, where their population has increased by over 6,000 between 2008 and 2016.
In March 2021, police found over 270 Rohingyas, including women and children, living illegally in Jammu city during a verification drive and lodged them in a holding centre inside the Kathua Sub-Jail.
In the past, several BJP leaders and various right-wing groups have raised concerns over the presence of illegal foreign immigrants in the region, particularly Rohingya and Bangladeshi nationals.
They have urged the government to identify and deport those found residing illegally in the region, citing concerns over national security, demographic changes and the possible misuse of local resources.
