Enemy properties to be put to 'public use'

State governments can now put to "public use" some enemy properties that were left behind by people who left India for Pakistan and China after 1965 and 1971 wars.

A notification was issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs on March 8 amending the guidelines for disposal of the Enemy Property Order, 2018.

The move came amid the Centre's efforts to sell around 9,400 enemy properties, valued at around Rs 1lakh crore. In November last year, the government gave an in-principle clearance for the sale of 6.50 crore shares valued at around Rs 3,000 crore belonging to those people who left India for Pakistan and China.

The order has been amended to facilitate "usages of enemy property by the state government exclusively for public use", the notification said.

According to a government report, India holds assets worth at least Rs 1.07 lakh crore, including 11,882 acres of land, belonging to people who migrated to Pakistan after 1965 and 1971 wars.

Besides this, there are 149 immovable enemy properties of Chinese nationals, spread over Karnataka, West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi.