Sainik Rest Houses are an important welfare facility for Ex-Servicemen (ESM), their widows and dependents who need affordable accommodation while visiting different cities for pension, medical, resettlement, legal, welfare or other personal purposes.
The Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare (DESW), Ministry of Defence, has published an official state-wise list of Sainik Rest Houses across India. The list provides details such as location, address, nearest railway station, nearest airport, accommodation available and contact details of the concerned Sainik Welfare authorities.
What is a Sainik Rest House?
A Sainik Rest House is an accommodation facility established primarily to support members of the Ex-Servicemen community and their families.
According to DESW, Ex-Servicemen, widows and dependents may need to travel to State or District headquarters for various purposes, including pension and resettlement-related work, medical treatment, legal matters, canteen facilities and other welfare requirements.
Sainik Rest Houses provide a decent and affordable place to stay for a short duration during such visits
How Many Sainik Rest Houses Are Listed?
The official DESW document contains 338 Sainik Rest Houses across States and Union Territories.
The state-wise/UT-wise distribution in the official list is as follows:
| State/UT | No. of Sainik Rest Houses |
| Andhra Pradesh | 7 |
| Arunachal Pradesh | Nil |
| Assam | 7 |
| Bihar | 8 |
| Chhattisgarh | 5 |
| Delhi | 1 |
| Goa | Nil |
| Gujarat | 4 |
| Haryana | 29 |
| Himachal Pradesh | 23 |
| Jharkhand | 5 |
| Karnataka | 10 |
| Kerala | 7 |
| Madhya Pradesh | 17 |
| Maharashtra | 30 |
| Manipur | Nil |
| Meghalaya | Nil |
| Mizoram | 2 |
| Nagaland | 7 |
| Odisha | 2 |
| Punjab | 16 |
| Rajasthan | 32 |
| Sikkim | 6 |
| Tamil Nadu | 8 |
| Tripura | 1 |
| Telangana | 1 |
| Uttarakhand | 33 |
| Uttar Pradesh | 50 |
| West Bengal | 8 |
| Andaman & Nicobar Islands | 2 |
| Chandigarh | 1 |
| Jammu & Kashmir | 14 |
| Leh & Ladakh | 1 |
| Puducherry | 1 |
| Total | 338 |
The official list shows that Uttar Pradesh has the highest number of listed Sainik Rest Houses, with 50 facilities, followed by Uttarakhand with 33, Rajasthan with 32, Maharashtra with 30 and Haryana with 29.
State-Wise Sainik Rest House List
The DESW PDF provides detailed information for each individual Sainik Rest House.
Andhra Pradesh – 7 Sainik Rest Houses
The official list includes Sainik Rest Houses at:
- Anantapuramu
- YSR Kadapa
- Guntur
- Kakinada
- Kurnool
- SPS Nellore
- Vizianagaram
For example, the Anantapuramu facility is located at Sainik Bhavan near Clock Tower, while the Guntur facility is located opposite Hindu College. Contact details of the respective Zila Sainik Welfare Officers are provided in the official document.
Assam – 7 Sainik Rest Houses
Sainik Rest Houses are listed at:
- Guwahati
- Silchar
- Diphu
- Dhubri
- Jorhat
- Haflong
- Darrang/Mangaldai
The official list provides accommodation information and contact numbers for each location. It also contains a note regarding telephone connectivity at some remote locations and provides additional contact information where applicable.
Bihar – 8 Sainik Rest Houses
The Bihar section includes facilities at:
- Bhagalpur
- Bhojpur
- Chapra
- Munger
- Patna
- Purnea
- Gaya
- Muzaffarpur
The document provides the address, nearest railway station, accommodation details and telephone contact for the respective facilities.
Haryana – 29 Sainik Rest Houses
Haryana has one of the largest networks of Sainik Rest Houses in the official list, with 29 facilities.
Ex-Servicemen travelling within Haryana can refer to the official PDF to identify the facility nearest to their destination and obtain the concerned authority’s contact details.
Himachal Pradesh – 23 Sainik Rest Houses
The official list contains 23 Sainik Rest Houses in Himachal Pradesh, covering several important towns and district locations.
The PDF gives location-wise details including accommodation and contact information.
Madhya Pradesh – 17 Sainik Rest Houses
Madhya Pradesh has 17 listed Sainik Rest Houses.
The facilities are spread across different locations to support veterans and their dependents travelling for official, medical, welfare and personal requirements.
Maharashtra – 30 Sainik Rest Houses
Maharashtra has 30 Sainik Rest Houses according to the official DESW list.
The detailed PDF should be referred to for the exact location, address, accommodation and contact information before planning a stay.
Punjab – 16 Sainik Rest Houses
The official list contains 16 Sainik Rest Houses in Punjab, with individual facility details provided in the state-wise section of the PDF.
Rajasthan – 32 Sainik Rest Houses
Rajasthan has 32 Sainik Rest Houses, making it one of the states with the largest network of such facilities.
The official document provides the location and contact details of the individual facilities.
Uttarakhand – 33 Sainik Rest Houses
Uttarakhand has 33 listed Sainik Rest Houses.
These facilities can be particularly useful for Ex-Servicemen and dependents visiting different parts of the state for medical treatment, pilgrimage, welfare work or other purposes.
Uttar Pradesh – 50 Sainik Rest Houses
Uttar Pradesh has the largest number of Sainik Rest Houses in the official list, with 50 facilities.
Veterans planning travel within Uttar Pradesh should check the official DESW list for the nearest facility and contact the concerned Sainik Welfare authority before travelling.
West Bengal – 8 Sainik Rest Houses
West Bengal has 8 listed Sainik Rest Houses.
The official PDF contains the individual location, address, accommodation and contact information for these facilities.
Sainik Rest Houses in Union Territories
The official list also includes Sainik Rest Houses in several Union Territories:
- Andaman & Nicobar Islands – 2
- Chandigarh – 1
- Jammu & Kashmir – 14
- Leh & Ladakh – 1
- Puducherry – 1
The detailed addresses and contact information are available in the official DESW PDF.
States/UTs With No Sainik Rest House Listed
The official document shows Nil entries for:
- Arunachal Pradesh
- Goa
- Manipur
- Meghalaya
This information is based on the DESW list and may change if new facilities are established subsequently.
Who Can Benefit From Sainik Rest Houses?
Sainik Rest Houses are primarily intended to assist the Ex-Servicemen community. DESW states that the facilities are meant to provide affordable accommodation for Ex-Servicemen, their widows and dependents who need to visit different locations for various requirements.
Possible reasons for using such accommodation include:
- Pension and SPARSH-related work
- Resettlement-related activities
- Medical treatment
- Legal matters
- Visits to Zila Sainik Boards/Rajya Sainik Boards
- Canteen-related requirements
- Welfare-related work
- Pilgrimage and sightseeing
- Other important personal visits
How to Find a Sainik Rest House Near Your Destination?
Veterans and their family members can follow these steps:
- Identify the city or district they intend to visit.
- Check the state/UT section in the official DESW Sainik Rest House list.
- Locate the nearest Sainik Rest House.
- Check the address and accommodation information.
- Contact the concerned Zila Sainik Welfare Officer or other authority using the telephone/contact details provided.
- Confirm availability, eligibility, charges and booking procedure before travelling.
It is advisable to contact the concerned authority in advance because availability and local booking procedures may vary from one Sainik Rest House to another.
Central Sainik Rest House at Naraina, New Delhi
In addition to the Sainik Rest Houses maintained through the States/UTs, DESW also mentions a Central Sainik Rest House (CSRH) at Naraina, New Delhi.
According to DESW, the Central Sainik Rest House was established on Defence land at an estimated cost of ₹8 crore and is maintained by the Ministry of Defence through the Kendriya Sainik Board (KSB). It provides subsidised accommodation to Ex-Servicemen visiting the national capital.
Booking at Central Sainik Rest House, Naraina
DESW states that requests for reservation at the Central Sainik Rest House can generally be made up to 15 days in advance.
The booking contact mentioned by DESW is:
Telephone: 011-25777049
Booking hours: 1030 hours to 1730 hours on working days.
The department also states that serving Officers/JCOs/ORs can have bookings accepted up to one day before arrival, subject to the stated procedure.
Accommodation at the Central Sainik Rest House is allotted on a first-come, first-served basis according to the priority specified by DESW. The priority begins with Ex-Servicemen and their dependents, followed by Ex-Servicemen visiting Delhi for resettlement courses and serving Defence personnel/families or civil personnel where vacancy exists.
Important: Confirm Before Travelling
The DESW PDF is an important reference for identifying Sainik Rest Houses, but veterans should contact the concerned authority before travelling.
Room availability, booking arrangements, local rules, charges and contact numbers can change. Therefore, the latest information should be confirmed with the concerned Rajya Sainik Board, Zila Sainik Welfare Office or Sainik Rest House.
Download Official Sainik Rest House List
The complete DESW PDF contains detailed information for all listed Sainik Rest Houses, including:
- Location
- Full address
- Nearest railway station
- Railway distance
- Nearest airport
- Airport distance
- Accommodation available
- Contact authority
- Telephone number
Official DESW List of Sainik Rest Houses:
Download the official Sainik Rest House PDF
The Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare also maintains a dedicated Sainik Rest Houses page on its website.
Conclusion
Sainik Rest Houses provide valuable and affordable accommodation support to India’s Ex-Servicemen community, widows and dependents when they need to travel away from home.
The official DESW list covers 338 Sainik Rest Houses across States and Union Territories, with Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Haryana having some of the largest networks.
Veterans should keep the official list bookmarked and check the relevant Sainik Rest House and contact authority before planning their journey. This can be particularly useful for veterans travelling for pension, SPARSH, medical treatment, resettlement, welfare work and other official requirements.
Disclaimer
The information in this article has been compiled from the official Sainik Rest House list published by the Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare, Ministry of Defence. Accommodation availability, telephone numbers, booking procedures and local arrangements may change. Readers are advised to verify the latest details with the concerned authority before making travel or accommodation arrangements.