Defence pensioners have received unprecedented relief. The Ministry of Defence has announced that a total of 3.169 million defence pensioners from India and Nepal have been integrated with the SPARSH digital platform. This step marks a major leap forward in simplifying the pension system. There will no longer be the need to run around various offices and agencies for pension payments.
End of the Old System of 45,000 Agencies
Previously, defence pensions were managed through approximately 45,000 different agencies, leading to delays, irregularities, and complaints for pensioners. The advent of SPARSH has eliminated this fragmented system. Now, all pension management is handled through a single digital platform, operated by the Defence Accounts Department and the Principal Controller of Defence Accounts (Pensions), Prayagraj. SPARSH has become India’s largest integrated pension system, a fully integrated digital solution for defence personnel.
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Real-time payments of ₹1.57 lakh crore in FY 2024-25
In FY 2024-25, payments worth ₹1,57,681 crore under the defence pension budget were released in real time through SPARSH. This meant that pensions reached pensioners directly without any additional delays or intermediaries. This further strengthened confidence in pension payments.
Record disbursement of OROP-III: Under OROP-III, implemented in July 2024, ₹1,224.76 crore was disbursed to 20.17 lakh pensioners in just 15 days. Normally, processing such a large number of payments would have taken months, but thanks to SPARSH, the process was completed in record time.
New Record in Digital Life Certificates
During the Digital Life Certificate (DLC) 4.0 campaign launched in November 2025, the Defence Accounts Department collaborated with 202 offices, 4.63 lakh Common Service Centers, and 15 banks. In just one month, 20.94 lakh digital life certificates were generated, the highest among all departments. This provided great relief to elderly pensioners at home.
Quick Resolution of Old Errors and Grievances
Of the 6.43 lakh error cases reported through the old system, 6.07 lakh cases were resolved without compromising pensioners’ rights. This was extremely challenging, but the SPARSH platform made it possible. This resolved pending issues for thousands of pensioners.
After the implementation of SPARSH, the average grievance resolution time decreased from 56 days in April 2025 to just 17 days by November 2025. According to a report by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances, the Defence Accounts Department received a 73 percent satisfaction score, improving its ranking to 5th.
Outreach Programmes and Direct Communication
284 SPARSH Outreach Programmes and 194 Defence Pension Resolution Programmes were conducted across the country. In the current financial year alone, more than 8,000 complaints were resolved on the spot during these programmes. This provided pensioners with an opportunity to speak directly with officials and receive immediate relief. Pensioners enrolled in SPARSH can now view their complete information online and apply for corrections if required. Overall, this system is making defence pensions easy, reliable, and future-ready.
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