SKOCH AWARD NOMINATION

RSB Digital Portal

Digitally Transforming Service Delivery for Ex-Servicemen, Widows and Dependants of West Bengal

Welfare, Opportunities and Dignity for Every Veteran

Rajya Sainik Board, West Bengal Home & Hill Affairs Department Government of West Bengal

Presented under the leadership of Colonel Partha Pratim Barik, Secretary, Rajya Sainik Board

ABOUT THE INITIATIVE

Rajya Sainik Board, West Bengal

Rajya Sainik Board (RSB) is the apex State body for the welfare of Ex-Servicemen (ESM), widows and dependants.

Services are delivered through 14 Zila Sainik Boards (ZSBs) across the State, including hills, tribal belts and remote districts.

Welfare delivery was historically dependent on physical, fragmented, district-level record keeping.

RSB developed a centralised digital portal to transform the delivery of services to the veteran community.

Developed with the approval and support of the Home & Hill Affairs Department, Government of West Bengal

Welfare network across every district

14

ZSBs digitally connected

1

Centralised State portal

QR

Smart Card for every ESM

100%

Digital, searchable records

Rajya Sainik Board | Government of West Bengal

02

THE STARTING POINT

Why a Digital Portal Was Needed

01

Fragmented Records

District-level physical records were maintained across 14 ZSBs. They were slow to search, verify and update.

02

Burden on Veterans

Manual verification meant repeated document submission, paperwork and repeated visits to ZSB offices.

03

Difficult Geography

Hills, tribal areas, remote districts and riverine regions made physical access to ZSBs difficult.

04

Capacity Constraints

Limited IT-skilled manpower and no dedicated IT funds; digital divide among elderly ESM and widows.

Rajya Sainik Board | Government of West Bengal

03

THE SOLUTION

RSB Digital Portal

One Portal. One Database. Fourteen Boards.

Centralised Portal

A common digital platform connecting all 14 Zila Sainik Boards on one system.

Single ESM Database

Legacy physical records digitised into a centralised, searchable database.

QR Smart Card

Digitally verifiable identity for registered ESM through QR-based Smart Cards.

Hybrid Service Model

Digital services backed by physical assistance at ZSBs for the digitally challenged.

↻

QR-verified identity of every registered ESM, carried on a Smart Card and verifiable in seconds at any Zila Sainik Board.

Scan: QR read at ZSB

Verify: matched to database

Serve: instant service access

Rajya Sainik Board | Government of West Bengal

04

TANGIBLE ACHIEVEMENTS (1/2)

Building the Digital Backbone

01

14 ZSBs Digitally Connected

A common platform now connects all 14 Zila Sainik Boards, replacing fragmented district-level record management.

02

Centralised ESM Database

Physical and legacy records progressively converted into searchable digital records for faster identification and verification of beneficiaries.

03

QR-Based Digital Smart Card

Registered ESM receive a digitally verifiable identity, reducing dependence on repeated submission of physical documents.

04

Faster Service Delivery

Online verification and access to records have reduced paperwork, processing time and repeated visits to ZSB offices.

Rajya Sainik Board | Government of West Bengal

05

TANGIBLE ACHIEVEMENTS (2/2)

Data Put to Work for Veterans

Employment Through Data

Digital records enable identification of eligible ESM by age, qualification, military trade, skills and location, which allows suitable candidates to be shared for employment initiatives.

Support to Other Departments

Verified details of eligible ESM provided for Government initiatives, demonstrating practical inter-departmental use of digitised records.

Greater Geographical Reach

Digital access particularly benefits ESM and widows in hills, tribal areas, remote districts and riverine regions, where physical access to ZSBs is difficult.

Soldier to citizen transition illustration

Every record digitised makes a veteran visible, from soldier to citizen, with dignity.

Rajya Sainik Board | Government of West Bengal

06

MAKING IT WORK

Challenges & Solutions

Challenge	Solution
Limited IT-skilled manpower in ZSBs	Training, handholding and simplified digital workflows for existing staff
Lack of dedicated IT funds	Existing government resources optimised; progressive digitisation within available means
Large volume of legacy physical records	Systematic digitisation, verification and migration into a centralised database
Remote and difficult geography	Online services reduced physical travel for veterans from hills, tribal, rural and riverine areas
Digital divide among elderly ESM / widows	Hybrid model retained ZSB-based physical assistance alongside digital services
Data accuracy and duplication	ZSB-level verification and periodic updating improved reliability of the central database
Cybersecurity and data privacy	Controlled access, authentication and secure handling of beneficiary information

Rajya Sainik Board | Government of West Bengal

07

IMPACT

From Physical Record-Keeping to a Data-Driven Service Delivery System

Centralised, searchable database of ESM, widows and dependants

Data-driven identification of eligible ESM for employment and skilling

Faster verification and service delivery through 14 ZSBs

Verified ESM data shared with other Government departments

QR-verified digital identity for registered ESM

Digital reach to hills, tribal, remote and riverine areas

A foundation for welfare targeting, employment, skilling, grievance redressal and future digital expansion.

Rajya Sainik Board | Government of West Bengal

08

EMPLOYMENT IN ACTION

Kolkata Police Recruitment - one of the examples

RESULT DELIVERED

Digital records enabled verified ESM profiles to be shared within just 3 DAYS of the requisition

WHY IT WAS POSSIBLE

1

It uses a centralised database of ESM, searchable by qualification, military trade, skills, age and location.

2

No fresh verification cycle was needed, as identities were pre-verified by ZSBs against the central database.

3

Job published on the RSB portal and instantly communicated to eligible candidates across West Bengal. Kolkata Police recruitment is one such example of what the portal enables.

4

It enabled practical inter-departmental delivery, from Rajya Sainik Board to Kolkata Police.

VACANCY OPEN

1700

Constable positions in Kolkata Police

Salary: Rs 31,510 per month

Eligibility: Ex-Servicemen, 15+ years of service

Qualification: 10th Pass | Age: up to 45

Location: Kolkata (contractual)

Window: 18 to 24 Sep 2026

Interview: venue & date to be intimated later

SCREENED & SHARED WITHIN 3 DAYS

Rajya Sainik Board | Government of West Bengal

09

KEY LESSON

What Made Digital Transformation Workable

“

Technology provided the platform, but decentralised verification, staff training and continued human assistance made digital transformation workable.

Decentralised Verification

ZSBs continuously verify and correct records at the source.

Staff Capacity Building

Regular IT training and handholding of ZSB staff.

Continued Human Assistance

ZSB-based physical support for digitally challenged beneficiaries.

Rajya Sainik Board | Government of West Bengal

10

Thank You

Welfare, Opportunities and Dignity for Every Veteran

Rajya Sainik Board, West Bengal | Home & Hill Affairs Department | Government of West Bengal

Portal: rsb.wb.gov.in • Smart Card verification: rajyasainikboard.in/checksmartcard

Thanking the veteran community, Zila Sainik Boards and the Home & Hill Affairs Department, Government of West Bengal