Armed Forces Flag Day: Honour the Brave Soldiers

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Indian Armed Forces Flag Day is observed on December 7 every year since it started first in 1949 to honour the brave soldiers, sailors and airmen of India who stand on borders to safeguard India’s honour. The Armed Forces Flag has 3 colors: Red, Navy Blue and Light Blue, with each color representing the 3 services of armed forces: Army, Navy and Air Force respectively. The Flag day is dedicated to honour the men in Uniform by collecting funds from people which is later used for the welfare of serving personnel and their families, Resettlement and welfare of ex-servicemen and their families, and Rehabilitation of battle casualties. The 3 Services of Armed Forces: Army, Navy and Air Force organize a variety of shows and entertainment programmes every year.

How It Started?

Right after India achieved Independence in 1947, Government wanted to look after its defence personnel. Keeping that in consideration, a committee was set up on August 28,1949 under the chairmanship of Defence Minister and this committee decided to observe December 7 as the annual Flag Day. The Idea behind Flag Day was to distribute small sized Armed Forces Flag and collect funds in return. Over the years, Armed Forces Flag Day got momentum as Indian civilian population started realizing that it is their duty to take care of the families and dependents of the soldiers who fight for the country.

Armed Forces Flag day Fund

Armed Forces Flag day fund was set up in 1949 by the managing committee of the Defence Minister. The fund is managed and controlled by Kendriya Sainik Board (KSB), which is also the part of Ministry of Defence. Kendriya Sainik Board is assisted by 32 Rajya Sainik Boards and 392 Zila Sainik Boards. The fund collected is then used for the welfare of serving personnel and their families, Resettlement and welfare of ex-servicemen and their families, and Rehabilitation of battle casualties.

The Donation amount is growing every year as the Politicians and Celebrities also started promoting Armed Forces Flag day fund through social Media. Civilian population is getting more aware of it due to the presence of internet and social media. Armed Forces Flag Day Fund is exempted from Income Tax. Last year the fund collected was INR 19,32,00,000 which was distributed among 8870 Beneficiaries as follows:

Disability Grant: INR 1,33,00,000 (120 Beneficiaries)
Penury Grant: INR 7,20,00,000 (1500 Beneficiaries)
Marriage Grant: INR 2,75,00,000 (550 Beneficiaries)
Education Grant: INR 8,04,00,000 (6700 Beneficiaries)

Want to Contribute to Armed Forces Flag Day Fund?

Contributions from public are received throughout the year. One can either contribute through cheque or online payment or direct deposit to the bank. If you want to pay through cheque then it would be payable to “Armed Forces Flag Day Fund” C/o Secretary, Kendriya Sainik Board, Ministry of Defence, West Block IV, Wing-VII, 2nd Floor, RK Puram, New Delhi – 110066.

If you want to deposit the amount directly in the bank account then it should go under the following details:

Name of Fund: Armed Forces Flag Day Fund
Office Address: Kendriya Sainik Board, Ministry of Defence, West Block-IV, Wing-VII, RK Puram, New Delhi-110 066
Telephone: 011-26192361
E-mail: [email protected] & [email protected]
Bank Name: Punjab National Bank, Sewa Bhawan, RK Puram, New Delhi-110066
Bank Account No.: 3083000100179875
IFS Code: PUNB0308300

If you want to Pay online through cards or using net banking, you can visit KSB Secretariat.

To encourage Digital India, This year Kendriya Sainik Board has added few more online mediums to contribute such as Paytm and UPI. Below are the details:

paytm: 8800462175
UPI: armedforcesflagdayfund@sbi and armedforcesflagdayfund@icici