Raksha Mantri Ex-Servicemen Welfare Fund - Disabled Children Grant

What is the RMEWF Disabled Children Grant?

Raksha Mantri Ex-Servicemen Welfare Fund Disabled Children Grant is a welfare payment run by the Kendriya Sainik Board (KSB) under the Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare, Ministry of Defence. The grant supports ex-servicemen and widows who are looking after a child certified as 100 per cent disabled.

According to the Kendriya Sainik Board, the scheme pays Rs 3,000 per month per child, a rate that has applied since 1 August 2021. The money is released once a year rather than every month, so an approved family receives up to Rs 36,000 in a financial year for each eligible child.

The Raksha Mantri Ex-Servicemen Welfare Fund is a subset of the Armed Forces Flag Day Fund (AFFDF), which is built largely from public contributions collected on Armed Forces Flag Day. The fund also carries the penury grant, the education grant, the marriage grant, the orphan children grant and the vocational training grant for widows.

Main features

• Central scheme administered by the Kendriya Sainik Board Secretariat, New Delhi, and delivered through Rajya Sainik Boards and Zila Sainik Boards.
• Restricted to ex-servicemen of Junior Commissioned Officer rank and below, including Navy and Air Force equivalents.
• Paid for the life of the disabled child, subject to an annual life certificate.
• Non-transferable, and ceases automatically on the death of the child.

Who is eligible for the RMEWF Disabled Children Grant?

You can apply if:

• You are an ex-serviceman, or the widow of an ex-serviceman, of the rank of JCO or equivalent and below.
• Your child is certified 100 per cent disabled by a military hospital or a government hospital.
• The child is your legitimate child and the entry appears in the service or discharge book.
• The child receives no disability benefit from any other official agency.
• Your case is recommended by the Zila Sainik Board of your district.

You cannot apply if:

• The ex-serviceman held a rank above JCO or equivalent: commissioned officers and their families are not eligible under this grant.
• The disability certificate is for less than 100 per cent, or was issued by a private hospital or a doctor who is not authorised.
• The child already draws a disability pension, allowance or stipend from another government source. Such families are not eligible, because the grant is meant to be the only institutional support in the case.
• The child's name does not appear in the ex-serviceman's service documents.
• You are a serving member of the armed forces rather than an ex-serviceman.

There is no age limit on the child. Unlike the education grant or the orphan grant, this assistance does not stop at 21 or 25 years of age.

What documents are required for the disabled children grant?

How to apply for the RMEWF Disabled Children Grant

1. Get the child assessed at a military hospital or a government hospital and obtain a disability certificate stating 100 per cent disability.
2. Visit the Zila Sainik Welfare Office in your district and ask for the dependent identity card for the disabled child if you do not already hold one.
3. Register on ksb.gov.in and fill the application for financial assistance to a 100 per cent disabled child of an ex-serviceman, or ask the Zila Sainik Welfare Officer to help you complete it.
4. Attach the discharge book page carrying the child's entry, the disability certificate, both identity cards and a cancelled cheque or passbook copy of a Punjab National Bank or State Bank of India account.
5. Submit the completed set to the Zila Sainik Board by 31 December.
6. The Zila Sainik Welfare Officer verifies and forwards the recommended case through the Rajya Sainik Board to the Kendriya Sainik Board Secretariat by 31 January.
7. Once sanctioned, the annual amount is credited directly to the notified bank account.
8. Submit a life certificate for the child every year between 1 December and 31 March so that the grant continues without a break.

Why applications get rejected

• The disability certificate shows a percentage below 100, or comes from a hospital that KSB does not recognise.
• The bank account given is not with Punjab National Bank or State Bank of India, so the disbursement cannot be processed.
• The child's name is missing from the discharge book, and no corrigendum has been obtained from the record office.
• The papers reach the Zila Sainik Board after 31 December and therefore miss the financial year cycle.
• The annual life certificate for a previously sanctioned case was not filed, which suspends the next release.

Where to get help

• Joint Director (Welfare), Kendriya Sainik Board Secretariat: 011-20862446
• Zila Sainik Welfare Officer in your district — the first point of contact for all Kendriya Sainik Board welfare grants
• Grievances: Joint Director (Grievance), Kendriya Sainik Board, 011-26179109

No fee is charged at any stage. Neither the Zila Sainik Board nor the Kendriya Sainik Board asks for money to process a welfare grant application, and no agent can get a case sanctioned faster.