Ex-servicemen association reviews projects to support veterans

AMMAN — The Economic and Social Association of Retired Servicemen and Veterans (ESARSV) is home to 91,155 members, ESARSV Director Ismael Shobaki said on Saturday.

Reviewing efforts to increase access to the services of the association across the Kingdom in support of brothers in arms, Shobaki said that multiple projects and programmes meant to improve the retiree's living standards were implemented in 2022.

The projects include the establishment of a lending portfolio to establish small productive projects, granting interest-free personal loans with specific ceilings for each military rank, and car loans based on the Islamic Murabaha system.

The "Retirees Shop", a service that allows retirees to buy electrical appliances directly via the association's website, was launched as well, in addition to facilitating  Hajj and umrah pilgrimages, he said, noting that the overall number of Hajj and umrah performers benefitted from  the association reached 1,500 and 5,000, respectively, by the end of the year. 

The association will continue to handle the management of security services in all ministries, government departments, government-owned companies, as well as public and private institutions, some 225 sites, under annual agreements, he said, adding that the number of employees currently stands at 9,143.

He added that the association owns 78 cars operating at the Queen Alia International Airport (QAIA), besides supervising a number of cargo and clearance vehicles, adding that in cooperation and coordination with the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation, the association provides financial support to retired servicemen-run cooperative societies.

The association also employs qualified officers to teach military science in private universities, in addition to employing a large number of retirees in various institutes and public universities, who have been contracted through the ESARSV, he said.

He noted that 100 vacancies at ministries have been allocated to the families of retired servicemen.