UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — The Government of India constitutes the 'High-Level Committee on Demographic Change'
Q1. Apart from the Chairman and the Member Secretary, the High-Level Committee on Demographic Change (2025) comprises how many members?
- A. Three
- B. Four
- C. Five
- D. Six
Q2. The High-Level Committee on Demographic Change set up by the Government of India is headed by which one of the following retired Supreme Court judges?
- A. Justice Prakash Prabhakar Naolekar
- B. Justice Ranjan Gogoi
- C. Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman
- D. Justice Madan B. Lokur
Q3. The High-Level Committee on Demographic Change was constituted by, and draws its Member Secretary from, which Union Ministry?
- A. Ministry of Home Affairs
- B. Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation
- C. Ministry of Minority Affairs
- D. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
Q4. In the High-Level Committee on Demographic Change, who functions as the Member Secretary?
- A. Joint Secretary (Foreigners-I), Ministry of Home Affairs
- B. The Census Commissioner of India
- C. The Registrar General of India
- D. The Union Home Secretary
Q5. With reference to the origin and terms of the High-Level Committee on Demographic Change, consider the following statements:
1. The 'High-powered Demography Mission' was announced by the Prime Minister in the 15 August 2025 Independence Day address.
2. The Union Cabinet approved the proposal to set up the Committee on 11 September 2025.
3. The Committee is required to submit its report within one year.
4. The tenure of the Committee can be extended, but only by the Union Cabinet.
Which of the above is/are NOT correct?
- The 'High-powered Demography Mission' was announced by the Prime Minister in the 15 August 2025 Independence Day address.
- The Union Cabinet approved the proposal to set up the Committee on 11 September 2025.
- The Committee is required to submit its report within one year.
- The tenure of the Committee can be extended, but only by the Union Cabinet.
- A. 1 and 2
- B. 2 and 3
- C. 3 only
- D. 4 only
Q6. The 'High-powered Demography Mission', the policy umbrella under which the Committee was set up, is best described as which one of the following?
- A. A policy initiative announced by the Prime Minister in the 15 August 2025 Independence Day address to address demographic change linked to illegal infiltration
- B. A 2020 programme for updation of the National Population Register
- C. A 2017 family-planning mission launched under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
- D. A 2011 Census-linked exercise to enumerate cross-border migrants
Q7. The High-Level Committee on 'One Nation, One Election' (Simultaneous Elections), which set the precedent for such ad hoc high-level committees, was chaired by whom?
- A. Shri Ram Nath Kovind
- B. Smt. Droupadi Murmu
- C. Shri N.K. Singh
- D. Dr. Subhash C. Kashyap
Q8. The report submitted by the 'One Nation, One Election' High-Level Committee comprised approximately how many pages?
- A. 18,626
- B. 10,626
- C. 8,626
- D. 26,186
Q9. Under the Citizenship Act, 1955, the term 'illegal migrant' is defined as a foreigner who—
- A. enters India without valid travel documents, or enters with valid documents but remains beyond the permitted period
- B. enters India without valid documents only; overstaying with valid documents is expressly excluded
- C. is any foreigner residing in India without registering with the Foreigners Regional Registration Office
- D. is a person who has renounced Indian citizenship and subsequently re-entered India
Q10. With reference to the constitutional and legal framework relevant to the Committee's securitised framing of demographic change, consider the following:
1. Article 355 lays down the duty of the Union to protect every State against external aggression and internal disturbance.
2. The term 'illegal migrant' is defined under the Citizenship Act, 1955.
3. In Sarbananda Sonowal v. Union of India, the Supreme Court examined large-scale illegal migration into Assam.
4. Article 356 casts a duty on the Union to protect States against external aggression.
Which of the above are correctly identified?
- Article 355 lays down the duty of the Union to protect every State against external aggression and internal disturbance.
- The term 'illegal migrant' is defined under the Citizenship Act, 1955.
- In Sarbananda Sonowal v. Union of India, the Supreme Court examined large-scale illegal migration into Assam.
- Article 356 casts a duty on the Union to protect States against external aggression.
- A. 1, 2 and 3
- B. 1, 2 and 4
- C. 2, 3 and 4
- D. 1, 3 and 4
Q11. With reference to the working method adopted by the High-Level Committee on Demographic Change for its data-gathering, consider the following statements:
1. The Committee has prepared a detailed questionnaire to be shared with States and UTs in advance of its visits.
2. The Committee plans to visit States and UTs to collect first-hand, ground-level details.
3. The Committee has decided to rely exclusively on existing Census data and will undertake no field visits to States.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- The Committee has prepared a detailed questionnaire to be shared with States and UTs in advance of its visits.
- The Committee plans to visit States and UTs to collect first-hand, ground-level details.
- The Committee has decided to rely exclusively on existing Census data and will undertake no field visits to States.
- A. 1 only
- B. 1 and 2 only
- C. 2 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q12. In the demographic context relevant to the Committee's study, the term 'demographic dividend' refers to—
- A. the growth potential that arises when a larger share of the population is in the working-age group
- B. the point at which the total fertility rate falls to the replacement level of 2.1
- C. the ratio of dependents (children and the elderly) to the working-age population
- D. the transition of a society from high birth and death rates to low birth and death rates