One Time Cash Incentive towards acquiring BEd, BPEd, DTEd, PGDCA (Sainik Welfare)

What is the One Time Cash Incentive for ex-servicemen in Puducherry?

One Time Cash Incentive towards acquiring BEd, BPEd, DTEd and PGDCA is a welfare scheme of the Armed Forces Flag Day Fund, administered by the Department of Sainik Welfare, Government of Puducherry through the Rajya Sainik Board at Jawan Bhawan, Lawspet.

The scheme exists to solve a specific problem in the life of a retired soldier. Most personnel of the armed forces leave service in their late thirties or forties with decades of working life ahead but without a civilian professional qualification. Teaching and computer applications are the two civilian fields where a mid-career entrant can realistically requalify and find work in Puducherry, and this incentive pays for the requalification.

Through the scheme, up to Rs 20,000 is provided to an unemployed ex-serviceman to pursue one of four named programmes from a government-recognised school or institution, upon prior permission from the department. The benefit is the actual cost of the programme or Rs 20,000, whichever is less, and the exact amount is decided by the Managing Committee of the fund.

Which courses qualify?

Four courses, and only these four:

• Bachelor of Education (BEd)
• Bachelor of Physical Education (BPEd)
• Diploma in Teacher Education (DTEd)
• Post Graduate Diploma in Computer Applications (PGDCA)

Three of the four are teaching qualifications, and the fourth is the standard entry qualification for computer-based clerical and support work. The course must be from a government-recognised school or institution; a private coaching programme or an unrecognised institute does not qualify however useful it may be.

Who is eligible for the incentive?

An ex-serviceman can apply if:

• The applicant is an ex-serviceman.
• The applicant is registered with the Department of Sainik Welfare, Puducherry. Registration with a Zila Sainik Board in another state does not carry over.
• The applicant is unemployed.
• The applicant has obtained prior permission from the Department of Sainik Welfare, Puducherry, before taking the course.
• The applicant applies within three years of discharge from service.
• The course is one of BEd, BPEd, DTEd or PGDCA, from a government-recognised school or institution.

Who is not eligible:

• Re-employed ex-servicemen. The scheme does not apply to ex-servicemen, living spouses or widows who are re-employed as regular or deemed to be regular in Government, Public Sector Undertakings or private organisations.
• Self-employed income tax assessees, who are excluded on the same footing.
• Ex-servicemen who did not obtain prior permission before joining the course. This is a condition precedent, not a formality that can be cured afterwards.
• Applicants beyond three years from discharge.
• Ex-servicemen taking a course other than the four named, such as an MBA, a law degree or an ITI trade course.
• Wards or children of ex-servicemen. This particular incentive is for the ex-serviceman personally. The separate tuition fee reimbursement scheme of the same fund covers wards.
• Anyone claiming a second time, since the incentive is by definition one-time.

What documents are required?

How to apply for the One Time Cash Incentive

1. Obtain prior permission first. Before joining the BEd, BPEd, DTEd or PGDCA programme, approach the Department of Sainik Welfare, Puducherry, and get written permission. Everything that follows depends on this step.
2. Complete the course from a government-recognised school or institution, and collect the pass certificate or mark sheet and the fee receipts.
3. Visit the Rajya Sainik Board on a working day during working hours at Jawan Bhawan, Department of Sainik Welfare, Government of Puducherry, 261 Lawspet Main Road, Pakkamudianpet, Lawspet, Puducherry 605013, and request a hard copy of the prescribed application form.
4. Fill in all mandatory fields, paste the passport-sized photograph signed across where required, and attach self-attested copies of every mandatory document.
5. Submit the duly filled and signed form with the documents to the concerned authority at the Rajya Sainik Board, and collect the receipt assigned to your application.

The application must be submitted within three months from the date of successful completion of the course.

How the money is paid

The amount, as decided by the Managing Committee, is credited to the beneficiary's bank account through RTGS or NEFT. Because the committee fixes the sum, an ex-serviceman should not assume the full Rs 20,000 in advance, a course costing Rs 14,000 will be reimbursed at Rs 14,000, since the benefit is the actual cost or the ceiling, whichever is less.

How to follow up on your claim

1. Keep the receipt issued at the time of submission, along with a copy of the prior permission letter.
2. Call the Department of Sainik Welfare on 0413-2253107, or write to dirdsw.pon@nic.in, quoting the ex-serviceman's identity card number.
3. Visit the Rajya Sainik Board at Jawan Bhawan, Lawspet, between 2:30 pm and 5:00 pm, Monday to Friday, the published hours for these matters.
4. Ask specifically whether the file has been placed before the Managing Committee, since that is the stage at which the amount is fixed.

Why claims for this incentive fail

• No prior permission taken before joining the course. This is by far the most common reason, because ex-servicemen often enrol first and discover the condition afterwards.
• Claim filed later than three months after completing the course.
• Applied more than three years after discharge from service.
• The applicant is re-employed in government, a PSU or a private organisation, or is a self-employed income tax assessee.
• The course is not one of the four named. A generous reading of "teacher training" or "computer course" does not extend the list.
• The institution is not government-recognised.
• Fee receipts missing or in someone else's name.
• Registration held with a Sainik Board outside Puducherry.

Help and grievance redressal

• Department of Sainik Welfare, Puducherry: 261 Lawspet Main Road, Pakkamudianpet, Lawspet, Puducherry 605013; phone 0413-2253107; email dirdsw.pon@nic.in; hours Monday to Friday, 2:30 pm to 5:00 pm.
• Departmental scheme listing; sainik.py.gov.in/assistance-affd-fund, which also carries the other Armed Forces Flag Day Fund grants such as the spectacle, hearing aid and denture grants.

The application form is free and no agent has any standing in this process. An ex-serviceman planning to requalify should treat the prior-permission visit as the first step of the course itself.