CLARIFICATIONS - OROP-2

*CLARIFICATIONS - OROP-2 REVISED PENSION &  ARREARS/ E-PPO/ LTA/  SPARSH-MIGRATION/ PPO* 

Dear Veterans , 

Many Veterans have some doubts, and the same are cleared as follows :-

*Message No 1*: I got only the same pension this month too. No OROP - II arrears. 

*My Answer No 1* : A bank like SBI with maximum number of pensioners has not only CPPCs in most of the states, they have Head CPPC at Navi Mumbai. They spent crores on creating additional buildings, infrastructure, rent where they could not find land to construct CPPC building, hired additional staff. They have got softwares made by TCS by paying enormous amounts. That is why they remitted first instalment of arrears of OROP – II  on 08 Mar 2023 to all its defence pensioners. Other PSU banks with least number of pensioners like Bank of India, Bank of Maharashtra, Punjab & Sindh Bank etc do not have resources to create CPPCs. PNB though a big bank in terms of pensioners has become very lazy and does not give good customer support. Therefore as per the orders of Hon'ble Supreme court, all gallantry award winners and single ladies of all ranks (Officers / JCOs/ OR) will get entire arrears of OROP - II by 30 Apr 2023 and you will get arrears of pension. All those pensions who are 70 or above in age will get either in instalments or in one go by 30 Jun 2023. Rest will get in instalments commencing in Aug 2023 and ending with last instalment by 28 Feb 2024. So do not worry. If you are migrated to SPARSH, the above applies equally to you.

*Message No 2*. Do I have to give Form A for LTA benefits to my bank?

*My Answer No 2*. If you are alive and your wife is also alive then no need to give Form A to your bank as your arrears on your demise will automatically come to joint bank acct with your wife. If one of you go to your heavenly abode the live one has to give Form A for LTA so that your children will have no problem to get that money of yours (which is of no use once you or your wife reaches heaven). If you do not give LTA form A then your children have to get succession certificate from Revenue Dept and then to First Class Judicial Magistrate to say they are the your children. Then only the bank will release your money. If your children are abroad and cannot come to India for your LTA, the Govt of India becomes your children and takes your LTA.

*Message No 3*. I have received a message as SMS that I have been migrated to SPARSH. What should I do ?

*My Answer No 3*. You do sweet nothing (we call it as sweet focol when we were in service). You will get your pension on the last working day of the month. Your pension for the month of March will always be remitted to you on first working day of April. In the month of April you get two pensions. One in the first working day and second one in the last working day of April. Next SPARSH will start working on making your SPARSH PPO and SPARSH Pension Slip. It takes generally four to six weeks. But you continue to get your pension on the last working day. Once they complete the two documents, then they send you *User Id and Password*. Enter in a small note book titled *SPARSH*. Any message thereafter you get from SPARSH do NOT repeat NOT take any action as these are all dummy messages. As on date there is no link between the pensioner and SPARSH. Why should you bother if you are getting your pension? The bugs in SPARSH software will take atleast six months to one year to be removed. Till then relax. *Only thing you got to do is to go your bank in Nov 2023 and give your life certificate*. That is all you got to do. Do not worry about anything in SPARSH.

*Message No 4*. I have got my Feb pension on 28 Feb but I think my TDS is not deducted. What should I do?

*My Answer No 4 *. Till date there is no link between SPARSH and Income Tax Dept. Hence SPARSH cannot deduct TDS and send it to Income Tax Dept. You have to go to your bank and give them a cheque and request them to send it to Income Tax Dept. Take the counter foil duly stamped and give it to your Chartered Accountant in Jul 2023 when you have to file Income Tax Return.

*Message No 5*. I got my pension of Mar on 03 Apr 2023 but SPARSH did not revise my pension as per OROP – II and also did not remit my arrears.

*My Answer No 5*. You will get revised pension next month. Your OROP – II arrears will be remitted as per the judgment of Hon’ble Supreme Court. All single ladies and gallantry award winners will get entire arrears in one go by 30 Apr 2023. All pensioner whose is age is 70 or above will get entire arrears in instalments or in one go by 30 Jun 2023. All other younger pensioners will get arrears only in *instalments commencing from Aug 2023 and ending on 28 Feb 2023*.

*Message no 6* I was able to download SPARSH PPO. My wife’ date of birth is shown as 1/1/3001. What should I do?

*My Answer no 6*. Oh that is wonderful news. You are not yet married as your wife is not yet born. You are as per law eligible t get married though like me you are a grandfather. If you get married, you will not be charged for Plural marriage because SPARSH declared you as a bachelor.  OK. Jokes apart. SPARSH has lot of bugs. They will such dummy data to complete that field to test whether their software is working correctly or not.

*Message No 7*. I have seen my SPARSH PPO contains lot of errors. What should I do?

*My Answer No 7*. Have nice cup of coffee and smell its aroma before you drink it. As long as you get your pension on the last working day  nothing to worry. The errors will be there in SPARSH software for next one year but you will continue to get your pension till Nov 2023.

*Message No 8*. I find my Aadhar, PAN are not uploaded. What should I do?

*My Answer No 8*.  When SPARSH collected five documents from CPPC of your bank viz (a) Aadhar card (b) PAN Card (c) Life Certificate submitted in Nov 2022 (d) mobile no (e) Email Address, they store it in their server in your page. But unfortunately it is not stored due to some bug. When you log in the SPARSH asks you to enter your Aadhar No for second line of authentication. When you enter your Aadhar No, you get a message *Demographic Validation Failure*. It is because your Aadhar no is not held in SPARSH. Then what is the solution? I got if from my contacts in PCDA (Pensions) Prayagraj that you have to go to your bank and request them to upload your five details once again. Take your cards to the bank and your mobile registered with the bank. Once they upload second time, then you ask them to send the same uploaded file toSPARSH(sparsharmyco.dad@gov.in) with a copy to *liaison.186@gov.in*year 2014 and 2015 get their pension by Notional Pay method.

For this the pay of the Officers retired whether in 3rd CPC or 6th CPC is known only to PCDA (O), Pune. They send the Last Pay Certificate cum Data Sheet to PCDA (Pensions) Prayagaraj. Once that is received then only the E-PPO is made by checking which of the two methods stipulated by 7th CPC is more beneficial. If you see E-PPO, you find the pension is mentioned by both the methods.

*How to Get E-PPO*. I have sent you the form for getting LPC cum Datasheet (again attached). Fill it up on computer only and attach four documents mentioned below the form. Send them by registered post to *Officer in charge PSC Cell, PCDA (O), Golibar Maidan, Pune - 411011* under registered post with acknowledgment due. All these documents also should be sent in email to *ramkc.56566@gov.in* to Col Prashant Ramachandran  who is OiC of APACC (Army officers Pay & Allowances Contact Centre) in the office of PCDA (O) Pune. Col Ramachandran will then liaise with PSC cell and get the LPC cum Datasheet made and sent to PCDA (Pensions) Prayagraj. Once the LPC reaches PCDA (Pensions) Prayagraj, I will pursue with my contacts and get you the E-PPO generated at the earliest. Therefore for getting LPC cum Data sheet you got to do it yourself. Do NOT approach me to help you. It is not difficult at all. Take a print out of duly filled form for LPC and attach one copy of (a) cancelled cheque with your name on it (b) self-attested copy of PPO (c) self-attested copy of PAN card and (d) self-attested copy of Aadhar card. Go to the post office, buy the registered post envelope, load your documents into it i.e. one form for LPC and four attachments , close it, paste it, and also get an acknowledgement card and staple it and despatch to PSC section of PCDA (O) Pune. If you are getting your pension regularly either from the bank or from SPARSH, do NOT repeat NOT worry about E-PPO.

*Message No 9*: Do I need E-PPO and how do I get it?

*My Answer No 9*: Every pensioner irrespective of the rank must get E-PPO which has been implemented by 7th Central Pay Commission (CPC) from Jan 2016. The procedure to get E- PPO for Officers is once again explained. PCDA (O) is responsible for remittance of pay and allowances to serving Army Officers. PCDA (Pensions) Prayagraj deals with only pension once the Army Officer retires. Any increase in pay due to rank pay arrears case, when rank pay was added to basic pay as per orders of Hon’ble Supreme Court thanks to Maj AK Dhanapalan, hence basic pay went up. The enhanced basic pay is worked out by PCDA (O) for all Army Officers who were in service from Jan 1985 to Dec 2005. The basic pay went up so we got basic pay arrears and also commutation in 2014-15. Most of us gained Rs 2 to 4 lakhs thanks to Maj AK Dhanapalan and RDOA of Lt Col BK Sharma, Signals. There are law suits won by officers by which they got additional increment. For example Lt Gens (HAG+) got higher pay after 7th CPC which is adjusted by PCDA (O). Some officers who could not be promoted by Army Selection boards went to courts of law and got their promotions. Therefore they were given notional promotion even if they are retired  and fixed their pay of their promoted rank and were paid arrears for two to three years (though they are retired). These all related to pay and only PCDA (O) Pune does it. 

Now when 7th CPC suggested to fix pension w.e.f. Jan 2016 by two methods i.e. 2.57 method which means Pension in Jan 2016 = Pension in Dec 2015 x 2.57 and second method is by Notional Pay Method by which the pay at the time of retirement from 3rd CPC i.e. Jan 1976 to 6th CPC i.e. Jan 2006  (fitment factor of 1.86) is to be enhanced by successive CPCs fitment factor bring Notional Pay to 7th CPC (fitment factor of 2.57) and add MSP of Rs 15500 to the Notional Pay of 7th CPC and divide the notional pay of 7th CPC + 15500 by 2. Whichever of the two methods gives higher pension will be the pension w.e.f. Jan 2016. Notional Pay method is given in Circular 585 of PCDA (Pensions) Prayagraj as they have the fitment factors from 3rd CPC to 7th CPC. Most of us get higher pension by 2.57 method. Very few who retired in calendar 

I hope I have made myself clear.

warm regards,