Photo Courtesy: northeasttoday
Shillong: Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma announced that the state has completed 90 percent of fencing along its 440-kilometre border with Bangladesh. Roughly 400 kilometres of the boundary are currently secured, placing the state ahead of other regions in national efforts. Sangma noted that the remaining work is delayed by sensitive issues where the border alignment passes directly through local villages. He expressed confidence that ongoing dialogue with residents will eventually allow for the project to reach full completion.
The update arrives alongside a new national initiative from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs to examine demographic changes across the country. Following a mandate from Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the government has established a High-Level Committee on Demographic Changes to conduct a scientific investigation into population shifts. The move aligns with a broader mission previously announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which aims to address concerns regarding illegal immigration and irregular migration patterns.
Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh welcomed the formation of the committee, describing the initiative as a necessary step for protecting tribal societies and ensuring social stability in border states. The Ministry of Home Affairs stated that demographic changes in several regions are no longer explainable by normal fertility or mortality trends. Instead, the government cited illegal immigration and abnormal settlement patterns as factors impacting governance, public service delivery, and national security in border districts, urban centres, and tribal areas.
Retired Supreme Court judge Prakash Prabhakar Naolekar will chair the committee. Other members include the Census Commissioner, former IAS officer Durga Shankar Mishra, former IPS officer Balaji Srivastava, and economist Shamika Ravi. Based in New Delhi, the panel is tasked with analysing structural population changes and recommending policy or legal solutions. The committee is expected to submit its final report to the Ministry of Home Affairs within one year.
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