One-time and Annual Financial Grant to Soldiers Awarded with Gallantry Medals

What is the gallantry medal financial grant?

One-time and Annual Financial Grant to Soldiers Awarded with Gallantry Medals is a welfare scheme of the State Sainik Board under the Directorate of Soldier Welfare and Rehabilitation, Sainik Welfare Department, Government of Uttarakhand. The scheme honours soldiers from Uttarakhand who have been decorated for bravery by giving them; or, where the soldier has died, their dependents: both a large one-time cash grant and a recurring annual annuity. Uttarakhand contributes a disproportionately high share of the country's soldiers, and the state has made its gallantry grants among the most generous in India.

According to the Directorate of Soldier Welfare and Rehabilitation (sainikkalyan.uk.gov.in), the benefit is tied to the specific gallantry medal conferred. India's gallantry decorations range from the highest wartime and peacetime awards, such as the Param Vir Chakra and the Ashok Chakra, through the Maha Vir Chakra, Kirti Chakra, Vir Chakra and Shaurya Chakra, down to the Sena Medal (Gallantry) and a Mention-in-Dispatches. The higher the award, the larger both the one-time grant and the annual annuity.

How much benefit does the scheme provide?

The scheme has two components paid to the same person: a one-time lump-sum grant paid once, and an annual annuity paid every year. Both amounts are fixed by the medal. According to the Directorate of Soldier Welfare and Rehabilitation, the current schedule is:

The one-time grant therefore runs from Rs 4,00,000 at the Yudh Seva Medal end up to Rs 50,00,000 for the Param Vir Chakra and Ashok Chakra. The annual annuity runs from Rs 25,000 for a Mention-in-Dispatches up to Rs 3,00,000 for the Param Vir Chakra, and is paid every year to the eligible beneficiary. Because these figures are revised from time to time by state cabinet decision, an applicant should confirm the current amount for their specific medal at the District Soldier Welfare Office before applying.

How the one-time grant and annual annuity work together

Gallantry-medal holders from Uttarakhand receive both parts of the benefit for the same medal. The one-time grant is a single lump sum paid soon after the claim is verified. The annual annuity is then paid every year for life to the awardee, and on the awardee's death it continues to the eligible next of kin in the order the State Sainik Board recognises. This state annuity is separate from, and paid in addition to, any monetary allowance the central government attaches to the same gallantry award, so a Uttarakhand-domiciled awardee can hold both.

For a martyr's family, the annual annuity is an important long-term support, not just a one-off recognition. That is why the dependent hierarchy matters: the Veer Nari (widow) is normally the first claimant, followed by the soldier's children and parents within the age and marital-status limits the scheme sets. Keeping the bank account, life certificate and contact details current at the District Soldier Welfare Office is what keeps the yearly annuity flowing without a break.

Who is eligible for the scheme?

You can apply if:

• You are a permanent resident of Uttarakhand (domicile required).
• You are a serving soldier or an ex-serviceman.
• You hold a gallantry medal conferred through the official gazette.

A dependent can apply in case of the soldier's martyrdom or death. Eligible dependents are:

• The Veer Nari (widow),
• Sons up to 25 years of age,
• Daughters until marriage,
• Parents,
• Unmarried sisters, and
• Brothers up to 25 years of age.

You cannot apply if:

• You are not a permanent resident of Uttarakhand.
• You do not hold a gazetted gallantry medal.
• You have already received a similar grant for the same medal from another state government, this is barred by the required affidavit.

What documents are required?

How to apply for the gallantry medal grant

The scheme is applied for offline, through the district military-welfare office.

1. Visit your District Sainik Welfare Office (Zila Sainik Kalyan Karyalaya) and ask for the application form for the gallantry medal financial grant.
2. Fill in the form with the soldier's service details and the medal awarded.
3. Attach the documents — the gazette notification of the medal, Uttarakhand domicile certificate, Aadhaar, PAN, bank passbook with a cancelled cheque, the Rs 10 stamp-paper affidavit, the discharge book (for ex-servicemen) and dependent identity proof where a dependent is claiming.
4. Submit the form at the same office for verification.
5. Receive the grant by DBT; once verified and approved, the one-time grant is credited to the bank account and the annual grant is paid every year.

How do I check my application status?

Since the scheme is processed offline, follow up at the District Sainik Welfare Office where you submitted the application. The office can tell you whether the gazette notification and domicile have been verified and whether the grant has been approved for DBT.

Common reasons applications are delayed or rejected

• Missing or unclear gazette notification of the medal. The single most important document.
• No Uttarakhand domicile certificate, so state residence cannot be established.
• Missing Rs 10 stamp-paper affidavit on non-duplication of the grant.
• Bank account not ready for DBT; no cancelled cheque or an inactive account.
• Dependent claim without proof of the relationship and dependency.

Key dates

There is no fixed last date. A soldier or dependent can apply once the medal has been conferred and gazetted; the sooner the complete application reaches the District Sainik Welfare Office, the sooner verification and payment begin.

Help and grievance redressal

The application, verification and grievance route all run through the District Sainik Welfare Office under the State Sainik Board, Sainik Welfare Department, Government of Uttarakhand. If an issue is not resolved at the district level, it can be escalated to the Directorate of Sainik Welfare of the state. This scheme sits alongside a separate Uttarakhand grant for soldiers conferred with the Vishisht Seva Medal; a soldier who holds a distinguished-service medal rather than a gallantry medal should apply under that scheme instead.