These geographical areas may be villages, towns, cities, districts, states/UTs, regions across India.
NEW DELHI: The high-level committee studying causes and impact of "unnatural" demographic shifts in parts of the country has sought individual citizens' inputs on major demographic changes they have observed or studied over the past 15 years in the geographical areas they are familiar with.These geographical areas may be villages, towns, cities, districts, states/UTs, regions across India.In a questionnaire uploaded by the high-level committee on its dedicated portal, individual responders can provide causes of demographic changes, as perceived by them, besides detailing their likely effect on employment, education, healthcare, housing, infrastructure services, environment, social harmony and local economy. They have been further told to specify the challenges arising due to demographic changes. Individuals can also submit five recommendations to address these challenges.Wherever feasible, the committee requests, individuals must substantiate their responses with supporting material such as research reports, survey findings, case studies, photographs, audio-visual documentation, maps, official records, court records, media reports, publications or other relevant evidence.
Respondents can attach documents with their responses.The portal - inaugurated Wednesday by committee chairperson Justice Prakash Prabhakar Naolekar (Retd) - also puts out different sets of questionnaires for different stakeholders, including those in central ministries and departments, state govts, UT administration, NGOs, civil society, international organisations, think tanks, public servants and students.
The stakeholders can, through the portal, give inputs/data/information on any abnormal settlement pattern cause that may have altered the demographic character of a region. "These inputs will help the committee to analyse and identify causes of demographic changes and to recommend a well-organised and permanent operational system for the legal, fair and time-bound identification, detention, and deportation of illegal immigrants residing in the country," the committee said Wednesday.
Bharti Jain is senior editor with The Times of India, New Delhi. She has been writing on security matters since 1996. Having covered the Union home ministry, security agencies, Election Commission and the ‘prime’ political beat, the Congress, for The Economic Times all these years, she moved to TOI in August 2012. Her repertoire of news stories delves into the whole gamut of issues related to terrorism and internal strife, besides probing strategic affairs in India’s neighbourhood.