SPARSH: Revolutionizing Defence Pension Administration and Reducing Grievances

SPARSH has addressed 87% of legacy defence pension discrepancies, reduced grievance resolution time significantly, and onboarded 31.54 lakh pensioners. With efficient fund disbursement, it ensures transparency and dignity in pension management, emerging as a key digital reform in defence administration, according to the Ministry of Defence.

The System for Pension Administration - Raksha (SPARSH) has successfully resolved 87% of legacy discrepancies, equating to 5.60 lakh out of 6.43 lakh cases, safeguarding the entitlements of defence pensioners. This initiative has also improved grievance redressal procedures, significantly reducing the average disposal time from 56 days in April 2025 to just 20 days.

According to a release from the Ministry of Defence, as of now, 31.54 lakh defence pensioners from India and Nepal are registered on SPARSH. In a bid to enhance outreach, more than 100 events were conducted in the past year, while 211 SPARSH Outreach Programs and 193 Raksha Pension Samadhan Ayojans (RPSAs) were held. The Defence Accounts Department (DAD) actively participated in the 13th and 14th All India Pension Adalats, resolving 260 and 252 grievances on the spot, respectively.

Further, SPARSH conducted a suo-moto scrutiny, disbursing ₹3.02 crore to 48 pensioners in May 2025. During FY 2024-25, a Defence Pension Budget of ₹1,57,681 crore was managed efficiently. The implementation of One Rank One Pension (OROP)-III in July 2024 saw ₹1,224.76 crore reaching 20.17 lakh beneficiaries within 15 days. Declared the world's largest defence pension system, SPARSH exemplifies a transparent and efficient governance model. Currently, 202 Defence Accounts Department offices, 4.63 lakh Common Service Centers, over 5200 bank branches serve as SPARSH Service Centers, emphasizing its expansive reach.

(With inputs from agencies.)