GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF DEFENCE
DEPARTMENT OF EX-SERVICEMEN WELFARE
RAJYA SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 2431
TO BE ANSWERED ON 10TH AUGUST, 2026
WELFARE SCHEMES FOR EX-SERVICEMEN AND THE FAMILIES OF MARTYRED SOLDIERS
- SHRI MAHENDRA BHATT:
Will the Minister of Defence be pleased to state:
(a) whether Government is periodically reviewing the schemes implemented for the welfare of ex-servicemen and the dependents of martyrs; and
(b) if so, the State-wise details of the number of beneficiaries covered and the expenditure incurred by Government under the said schemes during the last three years?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE (SHRI SANJAY SETH)
IN THE MINISTRY OF DEFENCE
(a) & (b) The Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare through its Attached Offices namely, Kendriya Sainik Board (KSB) and Directorate General of Resettlement (DGR) implements various schemes/ initiatives for the welfare of Ex-Servicemen / Widows/ War Widows and their eligible dependents. These schemes/ initiatives are periodically reviewed, and benefits/ rates/ grants, etc. permissible to beneficiaries are suitably revised, from time to time.
The KSB through the Armed Forces Flag Day Fund implements various welfare schemes and gives financial assistance such as Penury Grant, Education Grant, Disabled Children Grant, Daughter’s Marriage Grant, Widow Re-Marriage Grant, Medical Treatment Grant, Orphan Grant, Vocational Training Grant for Widows, Grants for treatment of serious and other Diseases, Grant to Disabled Ex-Servicemen (applicable upto JCO rank) for purchasing Modified Scooters and provides Interest Subsidy on Home Loan (applicable upto JCO rank). Further, under the Prime Minister’s Scholarship Scheme, 5500 Scholarships are provided annually to eligible wards based on merit for the entire duration of course. The KSB also provides financial support to institutions involved in rehabilitation of Ex-Servicemen namely the Paraplegic Rehabilitation Centres at Kirkee and Mohali, All India Gorkha Ex-Servicemen Welfare Association at Dehradun, Cheshire Homes at Lucknow, Dehradun and Delhi, and 36 War Memorial Hostels. Reservation of 42 MBBS and 3 BDS seats for FY 2025-26 has also been made for wards of Defence personnel. Details of the number of applications and approximate amount disbursed to beneficiaries by KSB during the last three years from FY 2023-24 to 2025-26 are at Annexure-1A.
The DGR runs several re-settlement schemes and skill development training programmes for Ex-Servicemen, Disabled Soldiers, Widows and their dependents in order to provide job opportunities based on their willingness, fulfilment of eligibility criteria and availability of vacancies on a pan-India basis. The number of Ex-Servicemen who benefitted from the DGR schemes during the period from FY 2023-24 to 2025-26 are 55516, 60816 and 69397 respectively. The number of Officers, JCOs and Other Ranks (and equivalent ranks of Indian Air Force and Indian Navy) trained under skill development initiatives of DGR during the period from FY 2023-24 to 2025-26 are 9123, 11588 and 16901 respectively. Details of expenditure incurred by the Government towards re-settlement schemes and skill development training programmes during the period from FY 2023-24 to 2025-26 are at Annexure-1B.
Further, the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) is a flagship initiative of the Government which provides cashless and capless medical treatment to Ex-Servicemen and their eligible dependents. The ECHS is administered by an Attached Office of Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare namely, the Central Organization Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme, and provides quality medical care by utilizing the existing medical infrastructure of the Armed Forces, supplemented by private empanelled and government hospitals across the country. ECHS operates through 30 Regional Centres (RC) and 448 Polyclinics (PC) spread across the country. As on 03.08.2026, there are 66,74,918 primary and dependent beneficiaries under the ECHS cover. Details of expenditure incurred by the Government during the last three years from FY 2023-24 to 2025-26 are at Annexure-1C.
