Govt asks defence pensioners to complete annual identification by 20 February
The ministry had earlier approved the extension of pension payment for three months for banks’ pensioners, who migrated to SPARSH and whose identification was due in November 2022
New Delhi: The Ministry of Defence on Thursday said all defence pensioners drawing pension through System for Pension Administration (Raksha) or SPARSH should complete annual identification by 20 February.
The completion of the annual identification/life certificate is a statutory requirement for the continued and timely credit of the monthly pension.
“The ministry had earlier approved the extension of pension payment for three months for banks’ pensioners, who migrated to SPARSH and whose identification was due in November 2022. Three lakh ninety thousand three hundred and sixty-six defence pensioners drawing pension through SPARSH have not yet completed their Annual Identification as per the information available with the defence accounts department," the ministry added.
The pensioners who have completed their identification can check the status on SPARSH portal.
“Legacy Pensioner (pre-2016 retiree) who has not yet migrated to SPARSH can perform their Life Certification as was being done by them in previous years. For performing life certification through Jeevan Pramaan, they have to select respective Sanctioning Authority as “Defence – Jt.CDA (AF) Subroto Park" or Defence – PCDA (P) Allahabad" or “Defence – PCDA (Navy) Mumbai and Disbursing Authority as your respective pension disbursing bank/DPDO," the ministry said.
SPARSH is a web-based system for processing pension claims and crediting the pension directly into bank accounts of defence pensioners without any external intermediary. The system is being implemented by MoD for meeting the pension, sanction and disbursement requirements of Armed Forces.
“It is a centralized sanction, claim and pension disbursement system with easy validation and rectification of data through self-verification thereby creating “First-time correct data" with assured accuracy. It uses digital process for pensioner identification, removing the requirement of multiple visits by pensioners to the pension offices," the ministry added.
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