Recently, Kendriya Sainik Board, Ministry of Defence has issued guidelines to all ZSBs/RSBs regarding issue of ESM Identity Cards. Ex-serviceman I card is essential as it carries your identity as defence veterans. To get the benefit of KSB Welfare scheme, it is important.

We must know who is eligible to be known as Ex-Serviceman.

Eligibility to become Ex-serviceman of the Armed Forces personnel/officers who have discharged from service with any Rank on or after 04 Oct 2012 are mentioned below :

An ex-serviceman means a person, who has served in any rank whether as a combatant or non-combatant in the Regular Army, Navy and Air Force of the Indian Union, and

Who either has been retired or relieved or discharged from such service whether at his own request or being relieved by the employer after earning his or her pension; or

Who has been relieved from such service on medical grounds attributable to military service or circumstances beyond his control and awarded medical or other disability pension; or

Who has been released from such service as a result of reduction in establishment; or

Who has been released from such service after completing the specific period of engagement, otherwise than at his own request, or by way of dismissal, or discharge on account of misconduct or inefficiency and has been given a gratuity; and includes personnel of the Territorial Army, namely, pension holders for continuous embodied service or broken spells ofqualifying service; or

Personnel of the Army Postal Service who are part of Regular Army and retired from the Army Postal Service without reversion to their parent service with pension, or are released from the Army Postal service on medical grounds attributable to or aggravated by military service or circumstance beyond their control and awarded medical or other disability pension; or

Personnel, who were on deputation in Army Postal Service for more than six months prior to the 14th April, 1987; or

Gallantry award winners of the Armed forces including personnel of Territorial Army; or

Ex-recruits boarded out or relieved on medical ground and granted medical disability pension.

Exserviceman Status to Short Service Commissioned Officers. As per DoPT Notification dated 13th February, 2020, Short Service Commissioned Officers (SSCOs) released from Service after completing initial terms of engagement other than by way of dismissal or discharge on account of misconduct or inefficiency and have been given gratuity shall be eligible for the status of Ex-Servicemen.

Kindly follow the link below to know about eligibility criteria for Exservieman status for pre-2012 retirees of Armed Forces. – Link – https://ksb.gov.in/writereaddata/Portal/News/Guidebook.pdf

All the Ex- servicemen are entitled to get the Ex-serviceman Identity card to be issued from concerned Zila Sainik Board. However some impotent guidelines that issued by the KSB to all ZSBs regarding restrictions of issue of Identity card as under :

(a) Hony Commissioned Officers (JCOs) are not entitled for Officer’s Identity Card.

(b) Cadets (released) will not be issued ESM I Card. However cadets will be granted priority 1 as Exserviceman for the purpose of civil employment only.

(d) Short Service Commissioned officers will be issued ESM I Card as per DOPT notification of 13^th Feb 2020.