New Delhi: Defense Minister Rajnath Singh has called for developing cantonment boards across India into smart, green, and sustainable urban ecosystems. Singh made this statement while addressing the two-day national conference “Manthan 2025” organized by the Directorate General of Defence Estates (DGDE) on Thursday. The Defense Minister called upon the Indian Defence Estates Service (IDES) to work hard to modernize the cantonment boards.
Rajnath Singh commended the IDES officers for successfully fulfilling the dual responsibility of managing over 1.8 million acres of defense land and ensuring the welfare of citizens living in 61 cantonments across India. He also stressed the need to develop cantonments like modern cities by continuously improving processes. He said, “We must expand digital services so that people can receive transparent and timely services from the comfort of their homes.” Rajnath Singh said, “We must increase citizen participation so that residents can become partners in the future planning of the cantonment. We must transform cantonment boards into modern, transparent, and accountable institutions that can provide services in line with the demands of the times.” He further said, “It is our collective responsibility to ensure that cantonment residents receive the best civic amenities and a prompt grievance redressal mechanism.” The Defense Minister said that emphasis must be placed on digital platforms such as e-Cantonment 2, the use of artificial intelligence for grievance redressal, multilingual capabilities, and smart health facilities. Giving special priority to the welfare of the poor in the area, cantonments must have smart power systems, non-conventional energy grids, EV charging hubs, waste-to-energy plants, and AI-based surveillance systems. Furthermore, cantonments must be financially autonomous.
