SAVE DEFENCE PENSIONERS FROM NEW PENSION PORTAL "SPARSH"

A message received from Shri T K Damodaran,General Secretary of CGHS Beneficiaries Welfare Association of India (CBWAI) is republishing here for all

Forwarded as received:-SAVE DEFENCE PENSIONERS FROM NEW PENSION PORTAL "SPARSH" (MOST ERRATIC & UNRELIABLE SYSTEM) : BETTER LATE THAN NEVER

On behalf of the entire Defence Civilian Pensioners and Family Pensioners in the country, I submit this appeal for the kind consideration of the office of honourable Prime Minister and cause issuance of suitable priority directives to the office of Controller  General of Defence Accounts (CGDA) and the Principal Controller of Defence Accounts (Pension) Allahabad not to harrass the senior Pensioners & Family Pensioners (Defence) by way of introducing a much faulty and unproven Pension Payment Portal called "SPARSH". It is really a retrograde step without even having the consent of all the stakeholders especially the Pensioners. If one looks at the evolution of pension payment system, it can be understood that payment of pension to retirees was originally with parent departments from which the pensioner retired. The pensioners used to assemble physically in the office of the dept on 9th or 10th of the succeeding month to receive pension in cash which was being drawn from the respective treasury. It was a very cumbersome process involving physical duress for very old pensioners. Thereafter, depositing pension amount in bank accounts was introduced. In this process there were many mismatches, errors in TDS etc were noticed.  Then  the entire work of disbursing pension was given to Public Sector Banks, mostly SBI branches as PDAs. They set up their CPPCs (Central Pension Processing Cell in each Banks) who have done a good job and this system of pension payment was functioning excellently well and the entire Pensioners were very happy with it. At this juncture, again transferring the job to parent department without having thorough examination of its ill effects and repercussions on the pensioner beneficiaries is really most unfortunate and remains as a mystery. Other Central Government Department and State Govts have not thought of doing it. Railways is a very big Central Govt dept having large number of pensioners. They have their own set up "Indian Rlys Accounts Service"  They did not entrust the responsibilities to Public Sector banks to make pension payment. They are continuing with present system which is running smoothly. 

It is true that Banks are charging some amount for doing this work. That is very nominal considering the large number of pensioners and large amount of pension money involved. In the process of introduction of Sparsh, no doubt, PCDA Pension Allahabad may have to spend a lot of money to establish SPARSH offices in various cities and in appointing software agencies like TCS or INFOSYS to develop appropriate software and to maintain it regularly. It appears that PCDA (Pension) Allahabad transferred pension accounts of those pensioners who retited on 31/12/2015 or later to newly set up "SPARSH" without giving any written communication to these pensioners nor obtaining their consent. There are innumerable complaints regarding non receipt of pension, receipt of less pension, mismatch in TDS etc.in the newly introduced system "Sparsh"  Whereas the existing system was running smoothly with CPPCs of Pubic Sector banks and that too to the fullest satisfaction of Pensioners. Under such circumstances, naturally a question arises as to why one agency (PCDA Pension Allahabad)  disturb it unnecessarily. Therefore, as a matter of welfare of the Pensioners, transferring pension payment accounts to SPARSH any further; must be kept in abeyance and to allow the existing system of pension payment through banks, DPDOs etc.,  to continue.  It is further submitted that before implementation of such new pension payment portal, there exists a need to take all the stakeholders into confidence by way of explaining them the aims, its functioning parameters, details of  advantages etc., for introduction of such a system. It is further understood that in order to solve the problems faced by Armed Forces Personnel, Ministry of Defence had promised to provide a single window system where all the activities can be done in one place and thereafter

the concept of the SPARSH system was developed by integrating the activities starting from the processing of pension papers before the retirement of the superannuation of a Jawan / employee till he gets his pension. This system may be fine for the fresh cases but not in respect of old cases especially keeping in view the age profile of majority of Defence Civilian Pensioners consisting  of septuagenarians and octogenarians. 

Main reason attributable for this is that  centralization of operations involving such a large mass of pensioners of so many Directorates of the Defence Ministry cannot be so easily managed by any such bureaucratic centralized set up for obvious reasons.  In view of the above referred factual position and also to ensure timely pension payment (without the contingencies as noticed in the trial run of Sparsh like no pension payment, less pension payment, recovery of Income Tax from the pensioners who are not coming in the ambit of IT payment, excess recovery of IT from those pensioners who are liable to pay income tax etc.,), CGDA and PCDA (Pension) Allahabad are requested to kindly wind up the Sparsh and to allow the existing pension payment system continue unabatedly keeping  in view  the larger interest of the pensioners especially elders from 70 years and above who at any cost may not be in a position to avail internet facilities for obvious reasons. Inspite of this genuine demand of the pensioners, if the Authorities concerned are going ahead with the implementation of Sparsh, it will result in making the life of senior Pensioners much miserable and unimaginable. Instead of simplifying the pension payment system, the authorities concerned did a Himalayan blunder in complicating it by introducing spark / sparsh. Submitted for favourable consideration and suitable further action. 

Thanking you,

Yours sincerely,

T K Damodaran,
General Secretary of CGHS Beneficiaries Welfare Association of India (CBWAI) (Regd vide No S/RS/KH/(SW)/99/2021), Jt Secretary of Ordnance Factories and Allied Establishments Pensioners Welfare Association (Regd) Avadi, & Executive Committee Member of Confederation of All India Rail Users Associations (Regd), Tamilnadu

Address:  "Ashirvad"  No 57, Brindavan Nagar, CRPF Camp, PO AVADI, Chennai-600 065
Tele No 044-26841333, Mob No 9444944813
Email id : tkdpoduval@gmail.com  &
tkdamodarapoduval@outlook.com

Dated : 12-04-2022.