SPARSH - Few of such grievances of pensioners which have been projected

Indian Military Veterans

Dear Esteemed Members,

 Wg Cdr Ravi Mani who is an expert on pensions and also carried out a thorough study of SPARSH, the new pension disbursal system. Maj Gen Pravesh Rengen is from IESM who interacted with those involved in implementing SPARSH. The two voice messages are very clear. You may like to spend some time to listen to these two voice messages. Now that SPARSH is not going to be withdrawn, we have to see how the problems likely to be arise are resolved. I would request all members who might be aware of some of the grievances on SPARSH which have not yet been resolved to explain such cases. I give here few of such grievances of pensioners which have been projected to TSEWA.

1.   An Engineer officer is migrated to SPARSH being post - 2016 retiree. But in his SPARSH PPO, he is shown as a Mech Inf Officer. He has been referring to so many but his grievance has not yet been resolved even after six months.

2.   A JCO, a post - 2016 retiree submitted his life certificate in Nov 2021 through Def Pension Disbursing Office, a Def Accts Dept organisation but the life certificate has not been accepted by SPARSH.

3.   The SPARSH nodal officers are too few for Army pensioners. The mobile phones and Toll Free numbers  of SPARSH are never attended to. Even if attended, a casual reply that the grievance is sent to technical section is given. But no feed back on the progress of redressal of grievance is given to the pensioner.

4.    There was an IAF JCO who used to get correct pension till Mar 2022. From Apr 2022, his pension is reduced from SPARSH. Even after many months of correspondence, his pension grievance has NOT  been redressed.

5.    Those who are recently migrated to SPARSH get a message that he has been migrated to SPARSH but no password or user id is given.

6.    Even if CSD, ECHS and Col (veterans) of Sub Areas are made as facilitators  they are just post offices. They will send the grievance but who will redress the grievance?

7.    Even if pressure is put on SBI to be a facilitation centre, they will again act as post office to forward the grievance.

8.   Unless there are adequate number of Toll Free telephones with SPARSH, it is not going to be of any help to the pensioners. How can old pensioner who speaks Tamil or Malayalam going to speak with SPARSH Nodal officer to explain what her grievance is ?

9.   Submission of life certificate is going to be a big problem. Who gives the life certificate is received in SPARSH?

10.  The so called CSCs with whom memorandum has been entered to are manned by civilians who know nothing of the defence pensions. It is not a free service.

11.    The redressal grievance of Army pensioner is the most important facet of SPARSH and is given the least priority. 

12.    Many pensioners approach TSEWA with a problem of SPARSH. Till date from 01 Apr 2022, not even one pensioner has come back to us saying his grievance is redressed. 

13.   Cmde Sudheer Parakala, President, TSEWA had a lengthy brain storming session on SPARSH and sent detailed letter to Min of Def (ESW). 

14.    I got in my PPO only year of birth of my wife is mentioned. When MP - 5, Army HQ advised us to get date of birth of wife after 6th CPC, I sent the forms to MP-5. After three months I got a Corr PPO from PCDA (P) Prayagraj showing my wife's date of birth. Then came 2016 and E-PPOs was issued to me. This gain shows my wife's year of birth only and not date of birth from PCDA (Pensions) Prayagaraj. This shows the Corr PPO section and E-PPO section of PCDA (P) Prayagraj are working in silos believing in the axiom, left hand should not know what the right hand is holding. Then my good friend Col SK Datta with good equation with PCDA (P) Prayagraj and knows how to get amendments to E-PPO got it for me after two months. Now my E-PPOs shows the date of birth of my wife. Many people approach me and I guide them to Col SK Datta to help them out. 

warm regards, 

Brig CS Vidyasagar (Retd)