Raksha Mantri Ex-Servicemen Welfare Fund - Education Grant

What is the RMEWF Education Grant?

The Raksha Mantri Ex-Servicemen Welfare Fund Education Grant is a yearly payment made by the Kendriya Sainik Board towards the education of the children of ex-servicemen up to the rank of Havildar and equivalent, and of their widows. According to the Kendriya Sainik Board, the grant is Rs 1,000 per month per child for a maximum of two children up to graduation, and is also admissible to widows pursuing a post-graduate degree.

The Kendriya Sainik Board records that the scheme started in 1981 at Rs 15 per child per month for up to three children up to Class XII, and was last revised in October 2011 into the present Rs 1,000 per month structure.

Key objectives

• Help ex-servicemen of the lower ranks and their widows educate their children.
• Extend support to widows who want to complete a post-graduate degree.
• Reach families who receive no education allowance from a state government or employer.

Main features

• Rs 1,000 per month per head, paid for the previous academic year in one instalment in a financial year.
• Covers classes 1 to 12 and undergraduate classes of a degree college.
• Also covers a 2-year post-graduate degree for widows of ex-servicemen.
• Not applicable to any professional or technical course or degree.
• Applied for afresh after every completed academic year.

Who is eligible for the RMEWF Education Grant?

You can apply if:

• You are an ex-serviceman, widow or orphan dependant.
• The ex-serviceman held the rank of Havildar or equivalent and below.
• The claim is for classes 1 to 12 or an undergraduate degree course, or for a widow's 2-year post-graduate degree.
• The ward or widow has completed the course successfully.
• You are not drawing an education allowance or similar benefit from the state government or your employer.
• The claim is for the first two children, subject to the twin and bereavement relaxations below.

You cannot apply if:

• The ex-serviceman retired above the rank of Havildar or equivalent. Officers and senior JCOs are not eligible for this grant.
• The course is a professional or technical course or degree. The Kendriya Sainik Board states plainly that the grant does not apply to these.
• You already draw an education allowance or scholarship from a state government or an employer for the same child.
• The claim is for a third or later child outside the twin and bereavement relaxations.
• The academic year was not completed successfully, or the case is older than one year.

How many children are covered?

The scheme is meant for the first two children, with two clearly defined relaxations set out by the Kendriya Sainik Board.

Twins. If the 1st and 2nd children are twins, only the twins are eligible, because a maximum of two children is permitted. If the 2nd and 3rd children are twins, both are eligible along with the 1st child, so the ex-serviceman can claim for three children. In such cases the applicant must first fill the application for the two twin children with the same date of birth, and then file a separate application for the remaining child, whether that child is older or younger than the twins.

Death of a child. If the 1st child has died, the 2nd and 3rd children as named in the discharge book become eligible. If the 2nd child has died, the 3rd child becomes eligible. The death certificate must be uploaded as a supporting document with the online application.

How much does the Education Grant pay?

The Kendriya Sainik Board pays Rs 1,000 per month per head of eligible ex-servicemen and their widows, for the previous academic year, payable in one instalment in a financial year. For a full academic year this amounts to Rs 12,000 per child, and for two eligible children Rs 24,000 in that financial year.

The grant is claimed in arrears. There is no advance payment and no monthly credit — the payment covers an academic year that has already been completed.

What documents are required for the Education Grant?

All copies must be duly attested by the respective Zila Sainik Welfare Officer.

How to apply for the RMEWF Education Grant

1. Wait until the academic year is successfully completed, and check the cut-off dates published in the News section of ksb.gov.in.
2. Log in to the Kendriya Sainik Board web portal at ksb.gov.in and select the Education grant application from the welfare grants menu.
3. Fill the application with the child's details, course and class, and the ex-serviceman's bank account number and IFSC.
4. Upload the scanned documents within the file size limits shown online. The discharge book pages, ESM or widow identity card, mark sheet or progress card, Part II Order, the self certificate, and the Aadhaar card.
5. Submit the application, which goes to your Zila Sainik Board.
6. Attend the appointment given by the Zila Sainik Welfare Officer, who scrutinises the online application and verifies the original documents.
7. The ZSWO recommends the application and forwards it via the Rajya Sainik Board to the KSB Secretariat for approval and payment in the current financial year.
8. Track progress using the Status of Application link on ksb.gov.in.

An application must be filed after every successfully completed academic year. The Kendriya Sainik Board states that cases older than one year will not be accepted.

When is the Education Grant paid?

Payment is released in the current financial year for the just concluded academic year, after approval at the KSB Secretariat. Because the application travels from the ZSB through the Rajya Sainik Board to KSB, the elapsed time depends on when in the cut-off window the application is submitted. Applying early in the window is the practical way to avoid a case slipping past the one-year limit.

If a payment fails at the bank, the Kendriya Sainik Board directs applicants to follow the instructions circulated in KSB letter number 181/Welfare/Re-issue/Obsn/20-21 dated 9 February 2021.

Common reasons Education Grant applications are rejected

• The ex-serviceman held a rank above Havildar or equivalent.
• The course is professional or technical, which the scheme excludes.
• The application is for a third child without the twin or death-of-a-child relaxation, or without the death certificate.
• Children's names are not in the discharge book and no Part II Order has been uploaded.
• The applicant already draws an education allowance or scholarship from a state government or employer.
• The academic year was not completed successfully, or no mark sheet or progress card was uploaded.
• The case is older than one year, or was filed after the cut-off date.
• Bank details are wrong, causing payment failure after sanction.

Help and grievance redressal

• JD (Welfare), KSB Secretariat: 011-20862446, jdwelfare-ksb@desw.gov.in
• KSB grievances: Post Grievance and Track Grievance on ksb.gov.in
• Postal address: Secretary, Kendriya Sainik Board, West Block-IV, Wing-VII, RK Puram, New Delhi 110066
• Local help: your Zila Sainik Welfare Office, which gives the verification appointment and recommends the application

Applying is free. The sample application form and the application authorisation flow are published as downloads on the Kendriya Sainik Board scheme page, and no agent is needed at any stage.