INDEX CHAPTER CONTENTS PAGE NO Chapter - 1 Brief on Sainik Board Organization in the Country. 1-2 Historical Background. Responsibility and Existing Organization. Organizational Chart. Chapter - 2 Definition of Ex-Servicemen. 3-6 Special Cases of SSC officers, MNS, Medically Boarded out Cadets. Chapter - 3 Sainik Welfare Boards : Kendriya, Rajya and Zila. 7-16 Kendriya Sainik Board : Composition, Charter of duties. Department of Sainik Welfare and Zila Sainik Welfare Office. Chapter - 4 Staffing Norms at Sainik Board – RSBs and ZSBs as per 17-22 HLC Recommendations and Policy Guidelines. Chapter - 5 Armed Forces Flag Day Fund (AFFDF). 23 Chapter - 6 Welfare Schemes (KSB). 24-80 Instructions for processing of applications common to all Welfare Schemes. Chapter - 7 Prime Minister’s Scholarship Scheme (PMSS). 81-85 Chapter - 8 Other benefits Provided by KSB. 86-99 Paraplegic Rehabilitation Centres (PRC) at Kirkee and Mohali. Cheshire Homes. War Memorial Hostels. Sharing of cost of construction of Sainik Rest Houses. Rail Travel Concessions to the War Widows. Special Blind Pension for Ex-servicemen. Reserved seats in Medical/Dental Colleges as Government of India Nominee under Ministry of Defence Quota. Chapter - 9 Concessions and Benefits extended by State Govts/UTs to 100-240 retired and serving Defence personnel. Chapter - 10 Concessions and Benefits provides by Indian Army (DIAV). 241-257 Chapter - 11 Concessions and Benefits provides by Indian Navy. 258-262 Chapter - 12 Concessions and Benefits provides by Indian Air Force. 263-283 Chapter - 13 List of Records offices with contact details. 284-287 CHAPTER – 1 BRIEF ON SAINIK BOARD ORGANISATION Historical Background 1.1 During the period of 1914 till the end of the Second World War (Sep 1945), most of the soldiers in the British Indian Army came from the Indian rural background and families which had earlier served in the Armed Forces. After the first World War, in 1919, the British Government, vide its resolution of 07 Sep 1919, set up the Indian Soldiers‟ Board, a predecessor to the District Soldiers‟ Sailors‟ and Airmen‟s Boards, for addressing the welfare activities of Indian troops in these districts and villages. The Indian Soldiers‟ Board advised on matters affecting the welfare activities of ex-serviceman related to payment of pension, responded to queries on pensions, awards of Jangi Imams and enrolment of relatives of serving and retired soldiers in addition to the interest of serving, discharged and deceased Indian Soldiers, non-combatants and their dependents. 1.2 After 1947- 48 J&K Operations, the necessity for resettling the war disabled, war wounded and widows of those killed in action was felt and a small cell was set up in the Adjutant General‟s Branch, Army HQs in 1951. During that period, possibly the requirement of the Navy and Air Force were comparatively much less and hence no Inter- Services Organization as existing today was considered necessary. Due to steady expansion of the Navy and Air Force during the Second World War, the need for a single organization to perform the same functions in relation to all the three services was felt and the board was consequently reconstituted in 1944. In March 1951, it was renamed as the Indian Soldiers‟, Sailors‟ and Airmen Board. 1.3 After the 1965 and 1971 wars, the problem of resettlement, rehabilitation and welfare of war widows, and personnel disabled in action assumed greater proportions. Following the rapid expansion of the Defence Forces after 1962, the number of ex- Servicemen grew gradually to level off to about 60,000 per year. In 1975, the nomenclature of the board was changed to the Kendriya Sainik Board (KSB) at the Centre. The KSB Secretariat now functions under Dept of Ex-servicemen Welfare under the Ministry of Defence vide Govt of India Notification No. 1, No. 10(02)/I/D (Res.)/2007 dated 29 Jan 2009. Responsibility and Existing Organisation 1.4 The Union Government and the State/UTs are jointly responsible for the resettlement and welfare of ex-servicemen (ESMs) and their dependents. As per functional experience, majority of the issues pertaining to the ESMs are state centric and mandate resolution at the District (Zila) and States/UTs levels. Accordingly, to assist the State Governments in ESMs affairs, 32 Rajya Sainik Boards (RSBs) and 304 Zila Sainik Boards (ZSBs) approved by MoD have been established in the country. 1.5 The Kendriya Sainik Board (KSB) is the apex body at the Central Government level, which formulates policies for resettlement and welfare of ex-Servicemen and their families. 2 The 45 member board is chaired by the Hon‟ble Raksha Mantri as its President and other members in the Board include Chief Ministers/Lt Governor of thirty three States/UTs, Ministers in other Central/State Govt Departments, besides the three Services Chiefs, Senior Govt Officials, retired officers and retired JCOs. 1.6 The KSB meeting is held annually where policies, guidelines and schemes for the welfare and resettlement of ex-servicemen, to be implemented by the Central and State Governments are promulgated. At the state level this subject is allotted to one of the Ministers in the State Government and Secretary of the department concerned overseas the work of the Rajya Sainik Boards (RSBs). The RSBs exercise general control and supervision over the ZSBs, some of which cover more than one Revenue District. The District Collector is the Chairman of the ZSB. 1.7 The expenditure on establishment of RSBs and ZSBs, in majority of the States/UTs is shared between the Centre and the States/UTs in the ratio of 60:40. However, for eleven Special Category States; namely Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir (UT), Ladhak (UT) Himachal Pradesh and Tripura; the centre to state expenditure sharing ratio is 75:25. Organisational Chart 1.8 The organizational inter-relationship between the various departments under KSB Secretariat at the Centre, State and District/ Zila levels are outlined in the following chart: - MINISTRY OF DEFENCE DEPT OF ESM WELFARE STATE GOVT DGR ECHS KSB RSBs ZSBs Policy Welfare Adm & Coord PMSS Grievances Accounts Automation CSRH 3 CHAPTER -2 DEFINITION OF EX-SERVICEMEN 2.1 The need for formally defining the term “Ex-servicemen” (ESM) was felt for the first time after 1965, to ensure that the benefits of the new policy of reservations flow only to entitled personnel. The definition of ESMs is governed by the definition as laid down by the Department of Personnel and Training (DOPT) and has undergone changes from time to time. The definition of ESM has been broadly categorized in the subsequent paragraphs. 2.2 Those released before 01 Jul 68. Any person who had served in any rank (whether as combatant or not) in the Armed Forces of the Union and released from there other than by way of dismissal or discharge on account of misconduct or inefficiency. 2.3 Those released on or after 01 Jul 68 but before 01 Jul 79. Any person who had served in any rank (whether as a combatant or not) in the Armed Forces of the Union for a continuous period of not less than six months after attestation and released from there other than by way of dismissal or discharge on account of misconduct or inefficiency. 2.4 Those released on or after 01 Jul 79 but before 01 Jul 87. An "Ex-Serviceman" means a person, who has served in any rank (whether as a combatant or a non- combatant), in the Armed Forces of the Union, including the Armed Forces of the Former Indian States, but excluding the Assam Rifles, Defence Security Corps, General Reserve Engineering Force, Lok Sahayak Sena and Territorial Army, for a continuous period of not less than six months after attestation, and (a) Has been released, otherwise than at his own request or by way of dismissal or discharge on account of misconduct or inefficiency, or has been transferred to the reserve pending such release, or (b) Has served for not more than six months for completing the period of service requisite for becoming entitled to be released or transferred to the reserve as aforesaid; or (c) Has been released at his own request, after completing five years service in the Armed Forces of the Union; 2.5 Those released on or after 01 Jul 87. "An 'Ex-Serviceman' means a person, who has served in any rank whether as a combatant or non combatant in the Regular Army, Navy and Air Force of the Indian Union and (a) Who retired from such service after earning his/her pension; or (b) Who has been released from such service on medical grounds attributable to military service or circumstances beyond his control and awarded medical or other disability pension; or (c) Who has been released, otherwise than on his own request, from such service as a result of reduction in establishment; or 4 (d) Who has been released from such service after completing the specific period of engagements, otherwise than at his own request or by way of dismissal or discharge on account of misconduct or inefficiency, and has been given a gratuity, and includes personnel of the Territorial Army of the following categories, namely :- (aa) Pension holders for continuous embodied service (ab) Persons with disability attributable to military service; and (ac) Gallantry award winners. 2.6 After careful consideration the Government has accepted the above definition recommended by the High Level Committee. However, it may be observed that in the new suggested definition certain categories of personnel which have served in the Armed Forces of the Union have been excluded for consideration as ex-Servicemen, whereas certain additional categories of Territorial Army Personnel have been added in the revised definition.