18/09/2025
PRESS RELEASE
Chief of Defence Staff inaugurates Sparsh outreach programme for defence pensioners
Siliguri: Sparsh Outreach Programme was conducted by Controller of Defence Accounts (CDA) Patna in coordination with HQ 111 Area, at Bengdubi Military Station on 18 Sept 2025.
The programme was aimed to enlighten defence pensioners about the various facilities provided by SPARSH, including the robust grievance redressal mechanism. Detailed briefings were given to acquaint pensioners with the benefits and processes of SPARSH. Dedicated counters were set up to assist pensioners with registration, pension-related anomalies, grievance redressals, and on-the-spot solutions provided by the CDA team.
Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan inaugurated the event The event was attended by Lt Gen Pawan Chadha, SM, VSM and Lt Gen Zubin A Minwalla, UYSM, AVSM, YSM, GOC 33 Corps.
The outreach program was conducted to verify documents, resolve discrepancies, and streamline pension processing through direct engagement with officials. The event aligns with MoD-led outreach efforts that bring services closer to veterans, especially those in remote areas or with limited digital access. Gen Anil Chauhan hailed SPARSH as a Digital India, DBT-driven, “Minimum Government, Maximum Governance” reform that brings the entire pension lifecycle onto a single platform. Pensions are now directly credited by PCDA (Pensions), removing intermediaries and reducing error pathways. Pensioners were made aware of self-service access to verify details, update records, and raise grievances online, improving transparency and timelines.
Approximately 31 lakh defence pensioners are now onboarded on SPARSH with direct credit into their bank accounts, underscoring the system’s reach. The event saw an overwhelming response, with a large number of veterans participating actively. CDS complimented Lt Gen Pawan Chadha and officials of CDA, Patna for successful conduct of the program.
PRO DEFENCE