The Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), the Centre’s apex social sciences research funding body, has invited original research papers for a special issue examining India’s changing demographic profile. Eighteen themes listed for the elicited papers include cross-border migration, religious conversions and national security.The move comes at a significant juncture, with the Centre in May constituting a high-level committee to study demographic changes arising from illegal immigration and other “abnormal” factors and suggesting measures to address them.Union Home Minister Amit Shah, announcing the committee on May 26, had termed illegal infiltration resulting in “unnatural demographic change” a major challenge for the future of any nation. He said PM Narendra Modi had announced the formation of a High-Level Committee on Demographic Change in his Independence Day address in 2025. The plan now is to get academic, research backing for the larger government project.The Indian Social Science Review (ISSR), a multidisciplinary journal of the ICSSR, will publish the research papers for its special issue on “Understanding India’s Demographic Shift: Trends, Transitions and Policy Perspectives”.Besides the above mentioned themes, the issue will deal with employment and labour markets, comparative and international demography, population and climate change, human capital and health and nutrition. ICSSR sources said the special publication, for which papers would be accepted till November 21, seeks to examine the drivers and consequences of India’s demographic transformation and its implications for families, communities, the economy, governance and national development.”The special issue will provide an interdisciplinary platform to examine the drivers, dimensions and consequences of India’s demographic transformation and its implications,” said ICSSR member secretary Dhananjay Singh.He said informed and evidence-based demographic debates were essential to anticipate emerging challenges, understand their wider social consequences and develop policies that strengthened the country. “India is witnessing a profound demographic transformation, driven by changing fertility, rising life expectancy, population ageing, migration, evolving family and marriage patterns, changing labour markets, and advances in education, health and technology. These changes are not merely matters of population statistics; they are the key forces and factors shaping the future of Bharat, its families, communities, workforce, social cohesion, intergenerational relationships and development trajectory,” Singh added.According to the ICSSR, while India has continued to benefit from its demographic dividend, it is also witnessing regional variations in fertility, population ageing, migration and labour mobility, urbanisation and changing family structures, alongside rapid digital transformation. The council said these shifts could create significant opportunities for economic growth but also pose complex policy challenges. It identified ageing, migration, human capital, climate-induced mobility and regional demographic disparities as issues requiring greater research and policy attention.