Transforming Cantonment Towns:
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has proposed to excise civil areas in 58 cantonments, with plans to merge them with State municipalities.
- Cantonment Board is an organization established to administer and manage the civilian population living in cantonment areas.
- It operates in accordance with the provisions of the Cantonment Act of 2006 and falls under the jurisdiction of the Union Defence Ministry.
- The boards comprise elected representatives as well as ex-officio and nominated members as per the Cantonments Act, 2006.
- A cantonment board consists of eight elected members, three nominated military members, three ex-officio members (station commander, garrison engineer and senior executive medical officer), and one representative of the district magistrate.
- The station commander of the cantonment is the ex-officio president of the board and an officer of the Indian Defence Estates Service (IDES) or Defence Estates Organisation is the chief executive officer and member-secretary of the board.
- The boards have a term of five years.
- The boards are classified into four categories depending on their size and population.
- Category I cantonments are those with populations above 50,000;
- Category II between 10,000 and 50,000;
- Category III between 2,500 and 10,000,
- Category IV with populations below 2,500.
- There are a total 66 cantonment boards are present in India.
