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Implementation of SPARSH: A Boon for Defence Pensioners

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

The Government of India, through the Ministry of Defence, has taken a significant step towards simplifying and streamlining the pension process for defence personnel. The implementation of SPARSH (System for Pension Administration (Raksha)) aims to automate the sanction and disbursement of defence pensions, reducing reliance on external intermediaries. This web-based system allows pensioners to access their pension-related information, register complaints, and take advantage of last-mile connectivity through service centres established at the Defence Accounts Department offices and major banks.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Ministry of Defence has implemented SPARSH, an integrated system for automation of sanction and disbursement of defence pensions.
  • The system processes pension claims and credits pension directly into the bank accounts of defence pensioners without relying on external intermediaries.
  • A Pensioner Portal is available for pensioners to view their pension-related information, access services, and register complaints for redressal of grievances.
  • The system envisages the establishment of Service Centres to provide last-mile connectivity to pensioners unable to access the SPARSH portal.
  • The two largest banks dealing with defence pensioners, State Bank of India (SBI) and Punjab National Bank (PNB), have been co-opted as Service Centres, with an agreement signed on July 08, 2021.
  • Defence Secretary Dr Ajay Kumar appreciated the efforts of all involved in the process and thanked officials of SBI and PNB for facilitating the migration of manual data.
  • The implementation of SPARSH has fulfilled a long-pending requirement, providing a boon for defence pensioners.

Statistics:

  • Pension claims are processed and credited directly into the bank accounts of defence pensioners.
  • The Pensioner Portal is available for pensioners to access their pension-related information and register complaints.
  • Service Centres are established at Defence Accounts Department offices and largest banks (SBI and PNB) to provide last-mile connectivity for pensioners.
  • The implementation of SPARSH is expected to streamline the pension process, reducing reliance on external intermediaries.
  • The process of migration of manual data is currently underway.

Sources:

  • Press Information Bureau (PIB) Delhi
  • Ministry of Defence, Government of India
  • Press Release: "Implementation of SPARSH: A Boon for Defence Pensioners"
  • July 08, 2021

Note: The exact date and publication are sourced from the original text.

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