Journal of Defense Management
Open Access

Cantonment Boards and Importance of Defense Estates

Thari Damodhar^{* *}Correspondence: Thari Damodhar, Department of Defense Management, Jamia Millia Islamia University, Jamia Nagar, Okhla, New Delhi, India, Email:

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Description

The Directorate General, Defence Estates (DGDE) is where the Indian Defence Estates Service is headquartered. The DGDE advises the Ministry of Defence and Service Headquarters, including the Army, Navy, Air Force, and other organisations under the Ministry of Defence, on both Cantonments and Land issues. Some of the duties of the DGDE include purchasing land, relocating and rehabilitating displaced people, hiring staff, and seizing property. Additionally, it makes sure that the Cantonments Act of 2006, policies, rules, and directives are followed.

Six Principal Directorates, Central, Eastern, Northern, Southern, South-western, and Western Command, fall under the purview of DGDE. For the purpose of managing the nation's defence lands, there are 4 ADEO Circles and 39 Defence Estates Offices under the Principal Directorates.

There are 62 Cantonment boards. These local organisations are in charge of administering the local community and carrying out Central Government programmes for social welfare, public health, hygiene, safety, water supply, sanitation, urban regeneration, and education.

Importance of defense estates

Group 'A' Central Civil Service organisation known as Indian Defence Estates Service (IDES). IDES Officers are appointed through the Union Public Service Commission's Civil Services Examination.

Administration Division is responsible for:

• IDES cadre management.

• Appropriate channels for hiring CEOs Gp B and Assistant Defence Estates Officer Gp B.

• Budget formulation and execution.

• Implementation of various policies, guidelines, and directives of the Department of Personnel and Training and Ministry of Finance.

• Implementation of Official Language Act through Rajbhasha Cell.

• RTI matters.

• Establishment and service matters of Defence Estates Organization, including recruitment, promotions, transfers, training, and other personnel matters.

Kshatriya Mantri On February 10, 2022, in New Delhi, Shri Rajnath Singh presented prizes to the Defense Estates staff in recognition of their contributions to the successful conclusion of the survey of 17.78 lakh acres of defence land utilising cuttingedge technologies. Awards were granted to 11 officers, 24 employees, and 4 assistant defence estate offices from 38 defence estate offices.

According to the Defence Estates Office's data, the Ministry of Defence is the owner of around 17.99 lakh acres of land, of which 1.61 lakh acres are included within the 62 designated cantonments spread out across the nation. A total of 16.38 lakh acres of land are dispersed among various areas outside of the cantonments. About 18,000 acres of the 16.38 lakh acres of land are either state-hired land or are being considered for deletion from the records due to transfer to other government departments. This is a noteworthy accomplishment since, for the first time since independence, the entire defence land was surveyed in conjunction with revenue authorities of different state governments using the most up-to-date survey methodologies.

In addition to congratulating the prize recipients, Shri Rajnath Singh praised the Defense Estates staff for successfully completing the exercise despite challenging weather conditions in unpopulated remote locations and the COVID-19 pandemic danger. He referred to the survey as historic and exhibited confidence in the fact that the security and development of these areas will be greatly aided by the unambiguous demarcation of defence property. He continued by saying that the precise land measurements and trustworthy records produced by the survey will reduce the amount of time, money, and effort required to settle land disputes.

Conclusion

It is essential that a single independent authority is established with overall responsibility for management of all Defence land in order to increase focus and professionalism in management of Defence Land and to solve the issues with coordination among the numerous agencies charged with managing Defence Land. It should be an Inter Service Organization with a Board that includes representatives from all the Services and the Ministry of Defense, given that such an institution must work with all the Services as well as other organisations like the Cantonment Board etc. Raksha Mantri should ideally serve as the Authority's leader and it should operate similarly to an autonomous body. This Authority ought to have administrative responsibility over DGDE.