The Ministry of Defence held the Viksit Bharat @2047: Manthan 2025 conference in New Delhi, concluding on September 19, 2025, with Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh addressing the inaugural session on September 18, 2025. The conference was attended by Indian Defence Estates Service (IDES) officers and several distinguished keynote speakers. Key takeaways include achieving Carbon Neutral Cantonments by 2030 and Smart Cantonments by 2035, prioritizing Inclusive Development & Ease of Living, Digital First Service Delivery, Financial Resilience & Institutional Strength, Green Leadership, and Ease of Doing Business in Cantonments. Specific initiatives include building digitally enabled, green ecosystems; promoting renewable energy; prioritizing welfare of poor, senior citizens, and the disabled; upgrading e-Chhawani 2.0; and building financially independent Cantonment Boards. Also, it will focus on Skill & Knowledge Upgradation of Officers and Jan Samvad as Core of CEO's Duty.
Key Entities Referenced
Viksit Bharat @2047: A vision document of the government which provides the framework for the Manthan 2025 conference.
Cantonment Boards: The central focus of the 'Manthan 2025' conference, aimed at devising a roadmap for their development.
Manthan 2025: A two-day conference aimed to create a roadmap for the Cantonment Boards in line with the Viksit Bharat @2047 vision.
Ministry of Defence: The government ministry under which the Manthan 2025 conference was organized.
Ministry of Defence
Viksit Bharat @2047: Manthan 2025, two-day
conference to devise roadmap for Cantonment
Boards, concludes in New Delhi
Key takeaways include Carbon Neutral Cantonments
by 2030, Smart Cantonments by 2035, Inclusive
Development & Ease of Living, Ease of Doing
Business and Digital First Service Delivery
Posted On: 19 SEP 2025 5:08PM by PIB Delhi
Manthan 2025, the two-day conference of Indian Defence Estates Service (IDES) officers to devise a roadmap
for Cantonment Boards, in line with the Government’s Viksit Bharat @2047 vision, concluded in New Delhi
on September 19, 2025. The officers gained actionable insights from the inspiring address of Raksha Mantri
Shri Rajnath Singh who, during the inaugural session on September 18, 2025, exhorted them to strive for the
development of Cantonment Boards into smart, green & sustainable urban ecosystems, and achieve the target
by 2035.
Valuable insights from distinguished keynote speakers, including Secretary, Department of Land Resources
Shri Manoj Joshi, Attorney General for India Shri R Venkataramani (virtually) and Deputy Comptroller and
Auditor General of India Shri Subir Malik, also served a guiding light to the officers to achieve the desired
objectives.Key takeaways from the two-day conclave include:
1. Carbon Neutral Cantonments by 2030
Achieve net-zero emissions through renewable energy grids, rooftop solar, bio-gas and waste-to-
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energy plants.
Promote EV charging hubs, green transport, and large-scale afforestation.
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Institutionalise carbon audits and annual sustainability reporting.
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2. Smart Cantonments by 2035
Build digitally enabled, green, citizen-friendly ecosystems.
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Integrate smart power, Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven surveillance, e-mobility, and water
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recycling.
Balance heritage preservation with modern amenities in planning.
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3. Inclusive Development & Ease of Living
Prioritise welfare of poor, senior citizens, disabled persons, and special children.
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Create barrier-free infrastructure and inclusive social facilities.
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Make Cantonments models of compassionate governance.
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4. Digital First Service Delivery
Upgrade e-Chhawani 2.0 with AI-driven grievance redressal, multilingual support, and smart
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health including tele-health.
Move towards 100% online civic services with smart dashboards, for effective monitoring.
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Adopt data-driven decision making for efficiency and transparency.
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5. Financial Resilience & Institutional StrengthBuild financially independent Cantonment Boards through innovative revenue streams.
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Explore PPPs, green bonds, user charges.
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Create a robust fiscal framework to sustain reforms.
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6. Green Leadership & National Role Model
Showcase that development and environment can co-exist harmoniously.
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Focus on biodiversity parks, water body rejuvenation, waste segregation and recycling.
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Position every Cantonment as a lighthouse project of eco-conscious governance.
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7. Skill & Knowledge Upgradation of Officers
Constantly upskill in sustainability, AI, Geographic Information System (GIS), green technologies
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and modern urban management.
Encourage training, peer-learning, and global exposure.
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Treat every assignment as a contribution to nation-building, not merely as a job that has to be done.
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8. Jan Samvad as Core of CEO’s Duty
Institutionalise structured citizen engagement.
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CEOs to hold regular Jan Samvad with residents, Resident Welfare Associations, ex-servicemen
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and civil society.
Build transparency, trust, and participatory governance at every level.
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9. Ease of Doing Business in Cantonments
Strengthen platforms like E-Connect to promote entrepreneurship, small businesses, and start-ups.
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Simplify permissions, leases, and regulatory processes through digital platforms.
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Make Cantonments hubs of innovation, livelihood generation, and local economic vibrancy.
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VK/SR/Savvy
(Release ID: 2168539)