HFI Welfare Foundation: Financial Literacy & Welfare Support for the Armed Forces Community
Supporting Armed Forces personnel, veterans and their families through financial education, education support, essential family assistance, medical aid and emergency relief.
Not-for-Profit Company
25 January 2019
NPO DARPAN
CSR00037287
Impact at a Glance
Cumulative programme record
Impact figures as of 31 July 2026. Page updated 1 August 2026. All figures are drawn from the Foundation’s workshop and welfare records.
762
Free physical financial-literacy workshops
94,419
Participants attending financial-literacy workshops
121
Military Stations Covered
26
States & Union Territories Covered
44
Remote or Difficult Locations
9
Retired Armed Forces resource persons
Credible financial education, taken to the station
Serving personnel frequently operate far from mainstream financial-services access, while field tenures, frequent postings and demanding schedules make sustained financial education difficult. At the same time, borrowing, digital trading, financial products and fraud have become increasingly complex. HFI Welfare Foundation therefore takes structured financial education physically to military establishments, so that personnel can engage with a credible veteran resource person where they serve.
Delivered by Those Who Served
Every session is conducted by one of the nine retired Armed Forces officers. They understand the life, language and circumstances of the audience.
Taken to the Station
762 physical workshops at 121 military stations across 26 States and Union Territories, including 44 remote or difficult locations.
Sustained, Not One-Off
104 stations have been revisited, because personnel move on postings and each new intake needs the same grounding.
Financial Literacy Programme
A veteran-led national education programme
The structured nationwide programme commenced in November 2021. Workshops are conducted physically at Army, Navy and Air Force establishments across the country, covering financial planning, budgeting, debt, insurance, investments, retirement preparation, fraud prevention and responsible financial behaviour. No fee is charged to participants or host establishments. The average workshop reaches 124 participants.
Delivery model
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Programme initiation and coordination
A programme is initiated through coordination between HFI Welfare Foundation and the concerned Armed Forces establishment, either on request or through Foundation outreach. Date, venue and broad audience profile are then finalised with the coordinating officer.
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Veteran-led delivery
Every session is conducted physically by one of the nine retired Armed Forces officers who understand the service environment and the practical financial concerns of the audience.
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Interactive format
Smaller, interactive groups of approximately 100–150 participants are preferred where feasible, allowing participants to ask questions freely and engage with the subject rather than merely attend a large-format lecture.
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Privacy and non-commercial conduct
Participant names, mobile numbers and email addresses are not collected for marketing or commercial follow-up.
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Revisits
Stations are revisited as personnel rotate on postings and new groups require the same financial grounding.
Topics covered
- Financial planning and household budgeting
- Debt, borrowing and responsible financial behaviour
- Insurance and risk cover fundamentals
- Investments and long-term wealth building
- Retirement and post-service preparation
- Recognising and avoiding financial frauds
Programme Integrity: Educational, Free and Non-Commercial
HFI Welfare Foundation’s financial-literacy workshops are conducted as an educational initiative for the Armed Forces community.
- No fee is charged to participants or host establishments.
- No financial product or paid advisory service is promoted during the workshops.
- Participant names, mobile numbers and email addresses are not collected for marketing.
- No commercial leads are generated and no sales or investment follow-up is undertaken after a workshop.
- Travel, accommodation, honorarium and programme costs of the veteran resource persons are borne by HFI Welfare Foundation.
Signed declarations from the veteran resource persons confirming these practices are maintained by the Foundation and are available for official verification where required.
| Year | Workshops | Participants |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 17 | 2,293 |
| 2022 | 267 | 34,235 |
| 2023 | 108 | 13,408 |
| 2024 | 168 | 21,160 |
| 2025 | 146 | 17,433 |
| 2026 (to 31 Jul) | 56 | 5,890 |
| Total | 762 | 94,419 |
Workshops and participants by Service
Army
701
workshops
86,254 participants
Air Force
52
workshops
6,764 participants
Navy
9
workshops
1,401 participants
Grand total: 762 workshops, 94,419 participants.
National Reach
121 military stations across 26 States and Union Territories
Workshops have been conducted across the Army, Navy and Air Force in 26 States and Union Territories, including 44 remote or difficult locations. Detailed unit addresses, operational information and coordinating officers’ details are not published.
26
States & Union Territories
121
Unique military stations
104
Stations revisited
44
Remote or difficult locations
Northern Region
Jammu & Kashmir , Punjab , Himachal Pradesh , Ladakh UT , Uttarakhand , Haryana , Chandigarh
Western Region
Rajasthan , Maharashtra , Gujarat
Central Region
Madhya Pradesh , Uttar Pradesh, Delhi NCT
Eastern Region
West Bengal , Odisha , Jharkhand
North-Eastern Region
Assam , Meghalaya , Nagaland , Arunachal Pradesh , Tripura
Southern Region & Islands
Telangana, Karnataka , Tamil Nadu , Kerala , Andaman & Nicobar Islands
Examples of remote and difficult locations covered
- Leh
- Siachen Glacier
- Port Blair
- Awantipora
- Uri
- Poonch
- Rajouri
- Tezpur
- Dimapur
- Shillong
- Jaisalmer
- Dalhousie
- Likabali
- Agartala
- Naugam
- Sumdo
Indicative list from the 44 remote or difficult locations where programmes have been conducted.
Welfare Support
Assistance to families in severe distress
Beyond financial literacy, the Foundation provides direct support to ex-servicemen families identified after assessment of financial need and vulnerability.
Project Jeevan Aadhar
Quarterly ration support
Objective
Deliver essential rations to the homes of financially distressed veteran, widow and ex-servicemen families facing severe and sustained financial hardship and inadequate regular income.
Beneficiaries
Beneficiary identification, verification and field-level execution are undertaken through an implementation partner NGOs. HFI Welfare Foundation reviews the assessed need and funds selected eligible cases.
Support provided
Ration currently worth approximately ₹1,250 per month per family, physically delivered to each home on a quarterly basis.
Project Shikhar
School education support
Objective
Support continued schooling by meeting essential education expenses.
Beneficiaries
Beneficiary identification, verification and field-level execution are undertaken through an implementation partner NGOs. HFI Welfare Foundation reviews the assessed need and funds selected eligible cases.
Support provided
HFI Welfare Foundation supports six children from financially distressed Armed Forces families across five States so that financial hardship does not interrupt their schooling.
Support currently covers school fees, books and uniforms.
Project Sanjeevani
Medical assistance
Objective
Provide timely medical assistance and essential healthcare support to ex-servicemen families facing critical health emergencies, including COVID-19, especially when access to timely medical care and essential equipment is limited.
Beneficiaries
Ex-servicemen families facing cancer, cardiac conditions and other major medical emergencies, as well as patients requiring critical medical support in underserved areas.
Support provided
During the COVID-19 pandemic, oxygen concentrators were procured to support patients requiring respiratory care. These were later donated to an Army hospital in a remote area of Rajasthan, helping strengthen access to essential medical equipment for those in need. The Foundation has also provided case-specific financial assistance towards treatment of serious medical conditions after verification of financial need.
Project Aashray
Disaster & Emergency Relief
Objective
Provide immediate financial assistance to ex-servicemen families whose homes, farmland and livelihoods have been severely affected by floods, heavy rainfall and landslides.
Beneficiaries
Six ex-servicemen families across Punjab, Kargil (Ladakh) and Himachal Pradesh who suffered significant loss and displacement following floods, heavy rainfall and landslides in 2025.
Support provided
₹5.5 lakh in emergency relief was provided to six affected families, with individual assistance ranging from ₹70,000 to ₹1,00,000. The support helped families cope with the immediate impact of damaged or collapsed homes, destroyed crops, lost farmland and other critical losses.
48
Families receiving quarterly rations
7
States covered by ration support
6
Children supported for school education
6
Disaster-affected families assisted in 2025
Beneficiary names, addresses and photographs are not published, in order to protect the privacy and dignity of the families assisted.
Programme History
Key milestones
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2019HFI Welfare Foundation incorporated as a Section 8 not-for-profit company.
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2020–21Medical and COVID-related assistance, including oxygen-concentrator support.
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November 2021Structured nationwide financial-literacy programme for Armed Forces personnel commenced.
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2022–23Programme scaled nationally through a growing network of retired Armed Forces resource persons.
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2024Structured ration and school-education support strengthened through an implementation partner.
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2025₹5.5 lakh disaster assistance provided to six affected ex-servicemen families.
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31 July 2026762 physical financial-literacy workshops completed, with 94,419 participants at 121 military stations across 26 States/UTs.
Governance & Legal Status
Legal standing and disclosure
The Foundation maintains its statutory registrations and audited accounts. Relevant statutory and financial records are maintained and are available for institutional or official verification where required.
Legal Name
HFI Welfare Foundation
Legal Form
Section 8 not-for-profit company under the Companies Act, 2013
Incorporation
25 January 2019
Registered on
NPO DARPAN
CSR Registration
CSR00037287
Tax Exemption
Approved under Section 80G of the Income Tax Act
Audit
Accounts audited annually; copies available to reviewers on request
Foundation Contact
empoweringfaujis@humfauji.in
Leadership & Programme Stewardship
How the programme was conceived
HFI Welfare Foundation was established in 2019. Its nationwide financial-literacy programme was conceived and designed by Col Sanjeev Govila (Retd), a 27-year Indian Army veteran and Certified Financial Planner. He developed the programme framework and curriculum, recruited and trained the veteran resource persons, established outreach with military formations and continues to supervise programme standards and expansion.
Col Sanjeev Govila (Retd)
Founder – HFIWF
27-year Indian Army veteran. Designed the programme framework and curriculum and supervises trainer standards and expansion.
Bindu Govila
Programme Administrator – HFIWF
Bindu Govila oversees the Foundation’s welfare programmes, beneficiary-support processes and administration.
Veteran Resource Persons
Nine retired Armed Forces officers
Every workshop is conducted by a retired officer of the Armed Forces. Trainers’ addresses, telephone numbers and email addresses are not published.
Brig (Retd) · Army
MC Pant
Col (Retd) · Army
SS Thakur
Gp Capt (Retd) · Air Force
MI Ali
Col (Retd) · Army
Sumesh Seth
Lt Col (Retd) · Army
SD Sharma
Wg Cdr (Retd) · Air Force
Rajat Misra
Col (Retd) · Army
SC Kharbanda
Lt Col (Retd) · Army
Aditya Budhiraja
Col (Retd) · Army
Mukesh Chopra
Recognition
Chief of Army Staff Veterans’ Achievers Award
Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Veterans’ Achievers Award – Army Day 2026
Conferred by the Chief of the Army Staff at the Army Day Parade, January 2026
Awarded in recognition of sustained support and financial education for the Indian Armed Forces community. Earlier, the founder was featured on the Veterans’ Tableau at the Army Day and Republic Day Parades in January 2017 as one of 14 pioneering veterans in India working for the well-being of Armed Forces personnel.
Photo Record
Our Work in Action
Photographs are grouped by Service and activity, with factual captions. Images of beneficiaries are not published.
Financial-literacy workshop at an Army formation. Across the programme, 701 Army workshops have been conducted.
Session at an Air Force station — 52 Air Force workshops reaching 6,764 personnel.
Session at a naval establishment — 9 Navy workshops reaching 1,401 personnel.
Programmes conducted at 44 remote or difficult locations, including Leh, Siachen Glacier and Port Blair.
₹5.5 lakh assistance to six disaster-affected ex-servicemen families in 2025.
Oxygen concentrators donated to an Army hospital in a remote area of Rajasthan.
Contact
Write to the Foundation
For military establishments seeking a financial-literacy programme, or for verified welfare cases relating to the Armed Forces community, please write to HFI Welfare Foundation at:
Foundation email
empoweringfaujis@humfauji.in or contact on 9999 053 522
This page is a factual record of the Foundation’s not-for-profit activity. No financial product, investment service or advisory offering is promoted through this page.
