ESM: Facilities and Schemes

Introduction: The National Common Minimum Programme (NCMP), as adopted by the Government, envisaged setting up of a new Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare in the Ministry of Defence. A new Department called “Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare” was created on 22nd September, 2004. The main objective of creating a new Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare is to give focused attention to the welfare programmes for ex-servicemen and their dependants including pensionary benefits, re-employment and rehabilitation.

Resettlement: The primary thrust of the Directorate General of Resettlement, Kendriya Sainik Board, Rajya Sainik Boards and Zila sainik Boards is on dignified resettlement and efforts are made to explore various avenues for employment of ex-servicemen. To resettle/ re-employ ex-servicemen, the Central Government arranges the following:

Training programmes to reorient retiring Defence personnel towards civil employment.

Reservation of posts for providing employment opportunities in government/ semi government/ public sector organizations and assistance in employment with corporate sector.

Schemes for self-employment

Assistance in entrepreneurship and setting up small scale industries

Ex-Servicemen (ESM) Training: Under this scheme, funds are allotted to RSBs for conducting vocational training for ESM in their States. The scheme is primarily meant for those ESM who could not avail the facility of resettlement training while in service. The scheme has also been extended to the widow/ one dependent of an ESM, irrespective of whether his death is attributable to military service or not. The fields/ trades in which training is being conducted and the course fees is approved by MOD. The course is free of cost for the ESM and a stipend of Rs 700/- per month is paid to each trainee.

Placement of JCOs/ORs: The details of ex-servicemen, who have been provided employment through Directorate General Resettlement (DGR) and Zila Sainik Welfare Offices in the States during the last five years is as follows:

Resettlement & Welfare Schemes
Comment: The website contains three year old statistical data. What one can deduce is that welfare measures assume a low priority. Past data highlights that training and placements are relatively low compared to the retirees, except for making the trained Jawans a miserable security agent and demeaning his stature as a seasoned soldier. There is urgent requirement to audit what worth while output is produced by the civilian staff manning the Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare? In case there has been no fruitful output it maybe prudent to assign them productive alternatives.