There is a special scheme of the central government for the children of ex-servicemen who have lost both their parents — the RMEWF Financial Assistance to Orphan Children of ESM (Orphan Grant Scheme). If an ex-serviceman and his wife have both passed away, each of their orphan children gets Rs 3,000 per month, paid once a year as Rs 36,000 directly into the bank account. The scheme is run by the Kendriya Sainik Board (KSB) under the Ministry of Defence, and the money comes from the Raksha Mantri Ex-Servicemen Welfare Fund (RMEWF). Applications are made online only, on ksb.gov.in — this is not a SARAL service. This guide gives the eligibility, benefit, documents, the full online application process, fees, status check and helpline — and wherever a fact could not be confirmed from an official source, that is written clearly.
Scheme at a glance
| Point | Details |
|---|---|
| Scheme name | RMEWF — Financial Assistance to Orphan Children of ESM (Orphan Grant Scheme) |
| Level | Central Sector Scheme of the Government of India — applicable across the country, including Haryana |
| Ministry | Ministry of Defence, Government of India — Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare |
| Implementing agency | Kendriya Sainik Board Secretariat (KSB) |
| Source of funds | Raksha Mantri Ex-Servicemen Welfare Fund (RMEWF) — a subset of the Armed Forces Flag Day Fund (AFFD) |
| Benefit | Rs 3,000 per month per orphan child — Rs 36,000 paid once a year |
| Payment mode | Direct credit to the bank account (via ECS) |
| How to apply | Online — ksb.gov.in (not through SARAL) |
| Last date | No permanent last date (none given in myScheme) |
How much assistance is given
Each eligible orphan child gets Rs 3,000 per month. The amount is not paid every month — it is paid once a year as Rs 36,000 (Rs 3,000 × 12). The money is credited directly to the beneficiary’s bank account through ECS (Electronic Clearing Service). The assistance is meant to support the child’s education and settlement — the scheme’s stated aim is to give “a small measure of relief from total penury to an orphaned child of an ESM”.
Rate history: the assistance used to be Rs 1,000 per month. On 29 July 2022, Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh approved raising it to Rs 3,000 per month (PIB press release, 29 July 2022). That Rs 3,000 rate has applied since then, and myScheme also records the same rate.
| Period | Amount (per month, per child) |
|---|---|
| Before 29 July 2022 | Rs 1,000 |
| 29 July 2022 to now | Rs 3,000 |
Annual payment: Rs 3,000 × 12 = Rs 36,000 per child per year (in one instalment).
Who is eligible
The child must satisfy all four conditions (as per myScheme):
- Legitimate child of an ex-serviceman: the applicant must be a legitimate son or daughter of an ex-serviceman, with the details recorded in the Service Book.
- Age / marital status: a son must be below 21 years of age, or a daughter must be unmarried. (No age limit is written in myScheme for daughters — read the “Please note” section below.)
- Both parents lost: the child must have lost both parents (the ex-serviceman and his wife). If the mother is alive, this scheme does not apply — the widow-and-children schemes (see below) apply instead.
- Zila Sainik Board recommendation: the application must be recommended by the respective Zila Sainik Board (ZSB).
Please note: myScheme states no rank condition for this scheme — it is for orphan children of ex-servicemen of all ranks. The general RMEWF education grant has a Havildar-and-below condition, but that is a different scheme — do not apply its conditions here. Likewise myScheme states no limit on the number of children — every eligible orphan child gets Rs 3,000 per month.
Documents required
myScheme’s application steps name these documents — photograph, caste certificate, residential certificate and bank passbook. In addition, the scheme’s conditions will require these (the final list is whatever the KSB form shows):
- Child’s Aadhaar card and passport-size photograph
- Death certificates of both parents (the ex-serviceman and his wife)
- Copy of the ex-serviceman’s discharge certificate / Service Book (showing the child’s name)
- Child’s birth certificate / age proof (to prove a son is below 21)
- Unmarried certificate for a daughter
- Caste certificate (named in myScheme)
- Residential certificate (named in myScheme)
- Copy of the bank passbook — the account should be in the child’s name so the ECS credit can reach it (named in myScheme)
- Recommendation of the Zila Sainik Board (ZSB)
While uploading documents, remember: the list shown on the form is final. If any document is incomplete, the application will not move past the District Sainik Board.
How to apply — online (KSB portal)
Applications are made online only, on the Kendriya Sainik Board website ksb.gov.in. This is not a Haryana SARAL service, so the form will not be found on saralharyana.gov.in. As per myScheme, the process is:
Step 1 — New User Registration:
- Open ksb.gov.in and select the “Register” option.
- Fill the registration form — name, Aadhaar card number, email ID, mobile number and bank details.
- Set a password for your account.
- On successful registration, the applicant receives a User ID and password.
Step 2 — Login and application:
- Log in with the User ID and password.
- Click “New Application” and select the scheme name — “RMEWF- Financial Assistance to Orphan Children of ESM”.
- Fill the application form completely.
- Upload the required documents — photograph, caste certificate, residential certificate, bank passbook etc.
- Click “Save & Forward” and take a printout of the application form.
- Submit the printed application along with all the required documents to the District Sainik Board (ZSB).
After this, officers at the KSB Secretariat vet and approve the application. Final payment is made online — as per myScheme, payment is made “in due course based on the availability of funds in AFFD”, so it can take time.
Offline — help from the District Sainik Board
There is no separate offline form for this scheme — the application must be filled online. But if there is difficulty filling the online form, visit the Zila Sainik Board (ZSB) office of your district — it helps with filling the form, checking documents and the recommendation. Haryana has 20 Zila Sainik Boards under the Rajya Sainik Board (as per KSB’s published list); the state-level office is the Rajya Sainik Board, Haryana, Sainik Bhawan, Sector 12, Panchkula (phone: 0172-2560462) — ask it for your district ZSB’s address. Submitting the printed online application with documents at the ZSB is itself the offline step of this scheme — without the ZSB’s recommendation, the application does not move forward.
Fees and timeline
Application fee: myScheme states no application fee for this scheme, so none is written here. Registration and application on the KSB portal are free. If any fee appears while filling the form, that is what applies.
Last date: myScheme gives no closing date (schemeCloseDate) for this scheme — applications remain open through the year. No RTS (Right to Service) timeline is stated either. There is no fixed payment date — as per myScheme, final payment is made online in due course, depending on the availability of funds in AFFD.
How to check your application status
myScheme names no separate status portal for this scheme. Ways to check the status:
- KSB portal login: log in at ksb.gov.in with your User ID and check the application status.
- KSB IVRS helpline: call 011-26717987 (24×7 as per the KSB notice; press 7 for an operator).
- District Sainik Board: the ZSB office of your district can also be asked — the application is first forwarded from there with its recommendation.
Helpline
- KSB IVRS helpline: 011-26717987 (24 hours, 7 days as per the KSB notice; press 7 for an operator)
- Kendriya Sainik Board Secretariat: West Block-IV, RK Puram, New Delhi–110066
- KSB grievances / Joint Director (Grievances): 011-26179109 — email: [email protected]
- Rajya Sainik Board, Haryana: Sainik Bhawan, Sector 12, Panchkula — phone: 0172-2560462 (as per KSB’s published RSB/ZSB list; please re-confirm before visiting)
- KSB website: https://ksb.gov.in/ — scheme guidelines: https://ksb.gov.in/orphan-children-of-esm.htm
Please note — facts that could not be verified
Every figure and condition in this guide comes from myScheme or the Defence Ministry’s PIB release. But some points could not be confirmed from official sources — we are not inventing them; please confirm them in writing from the District Sainik Board before applying:
- Daughter’s age limit is unclear: myScheme says “a son below 21 years of age or an unmarried daughter” (no age is written for daughters). But the PIB release of 29 July 2022 says “aged below 21 years in the case of son or unmarried daughter” — which can also be read as the 21-year limit applying to daughters. We have used myScheme’s wording in this guide; if a daughter is above 21, ask the ZSB in writing whether she is eligible before applying.
- KSB guidelines page did not open: at the time of our research, ksb.gov.in and the scheme’s guideline page (ksb.gov.in/orphan-children-of-esm.htm) were not opening — so the original guideline text could not be re-read. The facts rest on myScheme and PIB.
- Document list is incomplete: myScheme names only the photograph, caste certificate, residential certificate and bank passbook, followed by “etc.”. The rest of the list above (death certificates, Service Book, age/unmarried proof) is drawn from the scheme’s conditions — the list shown on the form will be final.
- Payment timing is not fixed: payment depends on the availability of funds in AFFD — myScheme gives no fixed date by which the money arrives after approval.
- Fee / RTS / last date not stated: myScheme gives no fee, timeline or last date — so none is written here.
- Rajya Sainik Board number: the Haryana RSB phone (0172-2560462) and address are taken from KSB’s published RSB/ZSB list — please re-confirm before calling or visiting.
- Rs 36,000 a year is arithmetic: Rs 3,000 × 12 = Rs 36,000 — this annual figure is calculated; myScheme writes “Rs 3,000 per month, disbursed annually”.
Related schemes — do not confuse them
There are several schemes for ex-servicemen’s families with similar-sounding names, but each is different:
- Marriage Grant to Orphan Daughter of Ex-Servicemen: a one-time marriage grant — a lump sum for the daughter’s wedding. This scheme is entirely different — here the assistance is Rs 3,000 every month, and it has nothing to do with marriage.
- Additional Pension to Widow of Ex-Serviceman having Children: a Haryana government scheme — Rs 100/150/200 per child per month to the widow of an ex-serviceman. The mother is alive in that scheme. This scheme applies only when both mother and father have passed away.
- Additional Pension to 100% Disabled Ex-Serviceman having Children: here the father is alive (released due to 100% disability). It has no connection with the orphan children’s scheme.
- Marriage Grant to War Widows’ Daughters: Rs 1,00,000 one-time for the wedding of a war widow’s daughter — only for daughters of soldiers martyred in war, applied within 180 days of the marriage.
- RMEWF education grant (general): another RMEWF scheme in which up to two children of ex-servicemen/widows get Rs 1,000 per month for education — only for Havildar and below, classes 1–12 and graduation. That is different from this orphan grant (Rs 3,000) — its rank limit and two-child cap do not apply here.
- Prime Minister’s Scholarship Scheme (PMSS): scholarships for professional (degree) courses for children/widows of ex-servicemen — Rs 2,500 per month for boys and Rs 3,000 for girls. A different scheme again.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
1. How much assistance do orphan children get?
Each eligible orphan child gets Rs 3,000 per month — paid once a year as Rs 36,000, credited directly to the bank account via ECS.
2. Who counts as an orphan?
A child who has lost both parents — the ex-serviceman father and his wife (the mother). If the mother is alive, this scheme does not apply; the widow-and-children schemes apply instead.
3. What is the age condition for sons and daughters?
A son must be below 21 years of age; a daughter must be unmarried. myScheme writes no age limit for daughters, but the PIB release’s words can also be read as the 21-year limit applying to daughters — if a daughter is above 21, confirm in writing from the ZSB before applying.
4. Is there any rank condition?
No — myScheme states no rank condition for this scheme. The Havildar-and-below condition of the general RMEWF education grant does not apply here.
5. Where do I apply — can I apply through SARAL?
No — this is a central KSB scheme, not a SARAL service. Apply online only on ksb.gov.in, take a printout, and submit it with documents at your District Sainik Board (ZSB). Without the ZSB’s recommendation, the application does not move forward.
6. When will the money come?
After approval, payment is made online, but as per myScheme it depends on the availability of funds in AFFD (Armed Forces Flag Day Fund) — so there is no fixed date. Check the status through the KSB portal login or the IVRS helpline 011-26717987.
7. If a family has two orphan children, will each get assistance?
Yes — the assistance is Rs 3,000 per month per child, and myScheme states no limit on the number of children. Each eligible child is covered — confirm the procedure for multiple children with the ZSB.
8. How is this different from the orphan daughter’s marriage grant?
The marriage grant is a one-time lump sum for a daughter’s wedding; this scheme is a regular monthly assistance of Rs 3,000, which has nothing to do with marriage. The two schemes have separate applications — if the conditions of both are met, ask the ZSB about applying for both.
Official links
- myScheme — RMEWF Financial Assistance to Orphan Children of ESM: https://www.myscheme.gov.in/schemes/rmewf-faocesm
- Kendriya Sainik Board (KSB): https://www.ksb.gov.in/
- KSB — scheme guidelines: https://ksb.gov.in/orphan-children-of-esm.htm
- PIB release — assistance raised from Rs 1,000 to Rs 3,000 (29 July 2022): https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1846300
Disclaimer: This information is prepared on 9 November 2026 from myScheme (myscheme.gov.in) and the Defence Ministry’s PIB release (29 July 2022). Points such as the daughter’s age limit, the final document list and the payment timing could not be confirmed from official sources — please confirm them in writing from your District Sainik Board (ZSB) or the KSB helpline (011-26717987) before applying. If the rules change, the Board/Department’s notice will apply.
Leave a Reply