Cantonment Board

About Cantonment Board:

• It 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.
• Composition of the board
  • 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.
• A cantonment differs from a military station—the latter is exclusively devoted to the use and accommodation of military personnel and is established under an executive order.
• The cantonment, on the other hand, is an area that comprises both military and civilian populations.