Demographic Changes in Border Areas
International Relations
- PYQs3
- Articles1
Background
Directly impacts internal security (GS-3), social fabric (GS-1), and governance challenges in border states (GS-2). It's a sensitive and critical issue for India.
Demographic shifts, particularly those driven by illegal migration and infiltration in sensitive border regions, pose significant challenges to national security, social cohesion, and resource management, often leading to socio-economic imbalances and security vulnerabilities.
Facts & tables
- Primary Cause
- Identified as 'abnormal factors' such as illegal migration and infiltration.
- Government Stance
- Commitment to curb 'unnatural demographic growth' with a 'ruthless approach'.
- Demography Mission
- A 'demography mission' has been constituted to study the patterns of demographic changes.
- Security Objective
- Preventing demographic changes is a key objective alongside preventing proxy war, illegal infiltration, radicalisation, and narcotics trafficking.
| Type | Reference |
|---|---|
| Conceptual area | Internal Security |
| Body | Role |
|---|---|
| Ministry of Home Affairs | Addresses and monitors |
Prelims angle
Prelims angle: Statement-based questions
Prelims angle: Factual recall
- Defined as 'abnormal' or 'unnatural' growth due to infiltration.
- Identified as a major threat alongside proxy war, narcotics.
- 'Demography mission' established for study.
- Government's 'ruthless approach' to curb it.
- Impacts national security and social stability in border regions.
| Year | Framing tags |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Factual recall, Multi-statement analysis |
| 2022 | Statement-based questions, Factual recall |
| 2019 | Factual recall, Policy measures |
Timeline
-
Internal Security
Conceptual area
-
Prelims 2019
Factual recall, Policy measures
-
Prelims 2022
Statement-based questions, Factual recall
-
Prelims 2026
Factual recall, Multi-statement analysis
-
Report abnormal population growth in border areas: Shah to SPs
The phenomenon of significant population shifts in India's border regions, primarily attributed to illegal migration, is viewed as a national security concern, prompting government initiatives to study, monitor, and curb such 'unnatural demographic growth.'
See also
Past papers
2019–2026 · 3 questions
In the news
Report abnormal population growth in border areas: Shah to SPs
The phenomenon of significant population shifts in India's border regions, primarily attributed to illegal migration, is viewed as a national security concern, prompting government initiatives to study, monitor, and curb such 'unnatural demographic growth.'
Try these PYQs
Consider the following statements:
1. Bidibidi is a large refugee settlement in north -western Kenya.
2. Some people who fled from South Sudan civil war live in Bidibidi.
3. Some people who fled from civil war in Somalia live in Dadaab refugee complex in Kenya.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Statement 1 is Incorrect: Bidibidi is a large refugee settlement in northwestern Uganda, not Kenya. Statement 2 is Correct: People fleeing the civil war in South Sudan have been hosted in the Bidibidi settlement. Statement 3 is Correct: The Dadaab refugee complex is located in Kenya and houses refugees, including those who fled the civil war in Somalia. Therefore, the correct statements are 2 and 3 only.
Which of the following international conventions have **not** been ratified by India?
1. Employment Policy Convention
2. Abolition of Forced Labour Convention
3. International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families
4. Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War
5. Convention on Reduction of Statelessness
Select the answer using the code given below:
Statement 1 is Incorrect: The Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (ILO No. 122) is one of the International Labour Organization's governance (priority) conventions. India ratified it on November 17, 1998. Statement 2 is Incorrect: The Abolition of Forced Labour Convention, 1957 (ILO No. 105) is a fundamental ILO convention. India ratified it on May 18, 2000. Statement 3 is Correct: The International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (1990) is a UN multilateral treaty. India has neither signed nor ratified this convention. Statement 4 is Incorrect: The Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War (1949) (also known as the Fourth Geneva Convention) was ratified by India on November 9, 1950, and implemented domestically via the Geneva Conventions Act, 1960. *(Note: The question setter likely confused this with the 1951 Refugee Convention, which was adopted in Geneva and which India has not ratified).* Statement 5 is Correct: The Convention on Reduction of Statelessness (1961) has not been signed or ratified by India. India is not a party to the 1951 Refugee Convention, the 1954 Convention on Statelessness, or this 1961 Convention. *Conclusion:* Factually, only conventions 3 and 5 have not been ratified by India. However, among the given options, there is a discrepancy as no option perfectly matches "3 and 5". Since any correct answer must include the unratified conventions 3 and 5, Option D is the only possible choice by elimination.
Recently, India signed a deal known as ‘Action Plan for Prioritization and Implementation of Cooperation Areas in the Nuclear Field’ with which of the following countries?
* India signed the ‘Action Plan for Prioritization and Implementation of Cooperation Areas in the Nuclear Field’ with Russia. * India and Russia have a long-standing strategic partnership in the field of civil nuclear cooperation. * The agreement aims to enhance collaboration in areas such as nuclear fuel cycle management, nuclear power projects, and research in nuclear science and technology. * Russia has been a key partner in India's nuclear energy sector, particularly through Rosatom, which has been involved in building Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KNPP) in Tamil Nadu. * Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States have also engaged in nuclear cooperation with India but were not part of this specific agreement.