ESM Identity Card

(iv) 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 of qualifying service; or

(v) 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

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

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

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

31. 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.

ESM Identity Card

32. The Identity Cards to the retiring Armed Forces personnel and their dependents are issued by the concerned ZSB / ZSWO where the retiree intends to settle down after retirement (which is recorded in their discharge document(s). For this purpose, all the retiring defence personnel are required to call on concerned ZSB / ZSWO for registration and issue of Identity Card. After scrutiny of documents / particulars of the retiree by the ZSB/ ZSWO, the retiree will submit the ‘Application Form’, with which the ESM / dependents will be registered, the ESM / dependents Identity Cards will be issued. Application form for issue of ESM Identity Cards can also be downloaded from the link available at KSB Web portal, viz. https://www.ksb.gov.in/issuing-identity-card.htm. The Secretary, KSB may also issue Identity Card to ESM in special cases, whilst keeping respective ZSBs informed.

33. The issuing authority for the ESM I-Card will be the ZSB/ ZSWO corresponding to the district indicated in the Discharge Book only, and an NOC from this ZSB / ZSWO will be mandatory in the event as appended below.

(a) ESM relocates to a new district (even if the new district is located in the same State/ UT), after retirement.

(b) ESM doesn’t register with / obtain ESM I-Card(s) from the ZSB/ ZSWO corresponding to the district indicated in the Discharge Book and settles down in a different district.

34. It is incumbent upon the retiree to have the right address entered in their Discharge Book. To facilitate in identification of right ZSB (particularly in case of those whose retirement destinations have no ZSB), mapping of existing 757 districts with 407 recognised ZSBs is placed at Appendix `C`. A retiree, in whose district there is no ZSB/ ZSWO, is advised to refer to Appendix `C`, to select the right ZSB/ ZSWO.

35. The ESM Identity Card is a prerequisite for availing the benefits of the welfare schemes instituted under the Armed Forces Flag Day Fund vide Govt of India / MoD SRO 7E dated 13 Apr 1993.