Implementation of SPARSH for Defence pensioners

Implementation of SPARSH for Defence pensioners – Submission of pension claims through Legacy system: PCDA Circular dated 18.08.2021

OFFICE OF THE PR. CONTROLLER OF DEFENCE ACCOUNTS (PENSIONS)
DRAUPADI GHAT, ALLAHABAD- 211014

Circular No. 647

Dated: 18.08.2021

To,

The OI/C
Records/PAO (ORs)

Subject:- Implementation of SPARSH for Defence pensioners (Army).

It has been directed by Ministry of Defence that all defence pensioners organization should be rolled out on the web based comprehensive pension package system i.e. SPARSH (System for Pension Administration (Raksha)). In this regard a meeting was held on 16.07.2021 in MoD, in which Defence Secretary directed that pension claims (original as well as corrigendum) of all Army JCO/ORs Record Offices and Commissioned Officers retirees who are going to retire on or after 01.08.2021 as well as death in service cases, may henceforth be processed through SPARSH only. No fresh sanction will be done through the legacy system after rollout of SPARSH. Hence Competent Authority has decided to stop sanction of pension through Legacy System after 31.07.2021.

2. It is intimated to all concerned that w.e.f. 01.08.2021 all types of claims of Pensionary awards (viz. Service, Family and disability) of JCOs/ORs may please be processed through SPARSH only. Since, Pension payment mechanism through SPARSH in 7 Record Offices namely 58 GR Shillong, 14 GR Subathu, 39 GR Varanasi, 11 GR Lucknow, Dogra Regiment, DSC Cannanore and APS Kamptee is yet to be developed. Therefore, claims from these Record Offices will continue to be processed through existing legacy system i.e. Utility programme or in Hard copy till further orders.

3. However, it has been observed that a large no. of cases are still being received through Legacy System wherein date of casualty is on or after 31.07.2021. Therefore, it has been decided by the Competent Authority that:

(i). The pension claims of JCO/ORs which have been submitted through legacy method instead of SPARSH and are in pipeline wherein casualty (retirement/death/invalidment) occurred upto 31.08.2021 will be entertained by this office only till 31.08.2021 and no claim will be entertained after 31.08.2021 on Legacy system.

(ii). It is also the responsibility of Record Offices to avoid duplicacy of the claim to ensure that the same claim is not submitted through both channels i.e. Legacy system and SPARSH.

(iii). Claims for Corr. PPOs, wherein Original PPO has been notified by Legacy method, will continue to be submitted/processed through Legacy system only till migration of Legacy data of such cases on SPARSH. Such claims will also be processed through SPARSH only after migration of legacy data on SPARSH. Separate orders in this regard will be issued and intimated as and when migration of legacy data on SPARSH is completed.

4. This circular has been uploaded on this office website www.pcdapension.nic.in for dissemination across the Defence Pensioners and all concerned.

5. Hindi version will follow.

No. Grants/Tech./302/SPARSH/e-PPO/Vol.-I
Dated: 18.08.2021

sd/-
(Himanshu Tripathi)
DCDA (P)

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Also check the following links related to this topic:

Implementation of SPARSH for Defence Civilian Pensioners – PCDA(P)

Processing of pension claims in r/o Defence civilians through Project SPARSH: PCDA

MoD implements web-based integrated system for sanction & disbursement of defence pension