Defence Minister Rajnath Singh urges IDES officers to build smart, sustainable Cantonments
New Delhi, Sep 18 (SocialNews.XYZ) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday called upon Indian Defence Estates Service (IDES) officers to transform Cantonment Boards into smart, green and sustainable urban ecosystems in line with the government’s vision of a developed India by 2047, setting 2035 as a milestone year. Delivering the keynote address at Manthan 2025 – Strategic Roadmap to Viksit Bharat @2047, a two-day national conference organised by the Directorate General of Defence Estates (DGDE) in New Delhi, the defence minister lauded IDES officers for their dual role of managing more than 18 lakh acres of defence land and ensuring the welfare of civilians across 61 cantonments.