India Defence Land Under Encroachment: The government told Parliament that a big part of defence land across India still faces problems. The Ministry of Defence explained this in the Lok Sabha after it received questions about how much land stays unused, under court cases, or occupied by others. The answer showed that the issue is serious and spread across many states.
Vacant Land Details
Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth gave the numbers in a written reply. He said that India has around 18 lakh acres of defence land in total. Out of this, about 11,152 acres is under encroachment. According to Hindustan Times, he replied clearly, saying, “Out of around 18 lakh acres of defence land across the country, about 11,152 acres is under encroachment.”
Ireland Defence Minister McEntee Outlines €1.7bn Defence Plan to 2030 at Curragh Camp
Seth also said that the armed forces use defence land for important military work. This includes training, planning for security needs, and building houses for soldiers and officers. He explained that some areas may look empty from the outside but still belong to planned military use.
He wrote, “Any other lands, which may appear unused are meant for training, mobilisation practice, constructions as per Key Location Plans and construction of Married Accommodation etc for the armed forces.”
The ministry also shared that around 45,906 acres of defence land has been marked as extra land that the forces do not need right now. Various central government departments have received details about this land to see if they want to use it. Seth said these land pockets are now open for other departments to check and request if needed.
He also informed Parliament that about 8,113 acres of defence land is stuck in court cases across the country. These disputes add more delays to how the land can be used.
Land Impact on Villagers
One question asked the ministry if it checked how long land acquisition or eviction affects rural families. The ministry said it has not done any such study. Seth stated, “No such assessment has been carried out by the Ministry of Defence.” But he added that people get compensation when the government takes private land.
He said the ministry gives money and support as per the rules of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land, Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013.
India and Brunei First Defence JWG Launch: Full Report on JWG Inaugural Meeting
Defence Budget and Procurement
Another query asked if the ministry returned ₹12,500 crore from its capital budget for the year 2024-25 because of slow buying of equipment. Seth replied that the Defence Ministry used the entire money after the Finance Ministry revised the amount.
He explained, “Defence Services were allocated an amount of ₹1,72,000.00 crore at Budget Estimate stage under Capital Outlay for the Financial year 2024-25. The same was revised to ₹1,59,500.00 crore by Ministry of Finance at Revised Estimate stage, which was completely utilised by the Ministry of Defence during the Financial Year 2024-25.”
The government also confirmed that it plans to move ahead with changes to the Defence Acquisition Procedure. These changes aim to make the buying process faster. When asked about this, Seth replied with a simple “Yes”.
