The central government has allowed the state governments to put enemy properties into public use.

• The central government has amended the guidelines for disposal of the Enemy Property Order, 2018,  to facilitate usages of enemy property by the state government exclusively for public use.

Why in news?

• The guidelines for disposal of the Enemy Property Order, 2018, have been amended to facilitate “usages of enemy property by the state government exclusively for public use.
• Of the total properties left behind by those who took Pakistani citizenship, 4,991 are located in Uttar Pradesh, the highest in the country. West Bengal has 2,735 such estates and Delhi 487.
• The highest number of properties left by Chinese nationals is in Meghalaya (57) .West Bengal has 29 such properties and Assam seven.

Total Estimates of Property :

• There are 9,280 such properties left behind by Pakistani nationals and 126 by Chinese nationals.
• A total 6,50,75,877 shares in 996 companies of 20,323 shareholders are under the custody of the Custodian of Enemy Property for India.
• Of these companies, 588 are functional or active companies, 139 of these are listed and the remaining is unlisted.

Enemy Properties :

• Enemy properties are the properties of the people who migrated to Pakistan during partition and also to China after the Sino-India war in 1962.
• It is estimated that there are 9,280 such properties which were left behind by people who went to Pakistan and 126 such properties were left by the Chinese nationals.
• Of the total properties left behind by those migrated to Pakistan, about 4,991 are located in Uttar Pradesh, the highest in the country and West Bengal has 2,735 such estates and Delhi 487.
• Of the total properties left by those left to China about 57 properties are located in Meghalaya, highest in the country. West Bengal has 29 such properties and Assam seven.
• The estimated value of all enemy properties is approximately Rs 1 lakh crore.

The government had enacted the Enemy Property Act in 1968. This act was further amended through the Enemy Property (Amendment and Validation) Act, 2017. As the Enemy Property (Amendment and Validation) Act, 2017 Successors of those who migrated to Pakistan and China during partition will have no claim over the properties left behind in India.