SF Prep Notes

About 31 lakh of 32 lakh defence pensioners onboarded on SPARSH

The Ministry of Defence said on 29 March 2025 that about 31 lakh of India's 32 lakh defence pensioners had been onboarded on the SPARSH digital pension system.

Summary

The Ministry of Defence said on 29 March 2025 that about 31 lakh of the 32 lakh defence pensioners had been onboarded on SPARSH (System for Pension Administration – Raksha), with pensions credited directly to their bank accounts. Launched in October 2020 as a Digital India initiative, SPARSH handles sanction and disbursal of pensions for Armed Forces personnel and defence civilians. It is administered by the Defence Accounts Department through the Principal Controller of Defence Accounts (Pensions) in Prayagraj. Seven Raksha Pension Samadhan Ayojans and over 90 outreach programmes were held in 2024, and over 200 DAD offices, 16 bank branches and nearly five lakh Common Service Centres help pensioners.

Key facts

Date
29 March 2025
Onboarded
About 31 lakh of 32 lakh defence pensioners
Launched
October 2020 (Digital India initiative)
Administered by
Defence Accounts Department via PCDA (Pensions), Prayagraj
Outreach in 2024
7 Raksha Pension Samadhan Ayojans; 90+ programmes
Service points
200+ DAD offices, 16 bank branches, ~5 lakh CSCs

Practice MCQs 3 questions

Q1

According to the Ministry of Defence on 29 March 2025, about how many defence pensioners had been onboarded on SPARSH?

Show answer

Correct answer: C — 31 lakh

About 31 lakh of the total 32 lakh defence pensioners had been onboarded.

Q2 Advanced

In the defence pension system SPARSH, what does the 'R' stand for?

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Correct answer: D — Raksha

SPARSH stands for System for Pension Administration – Raksha.

Q3 Advanced

Consider the following statements about SPARSH: 1. It was launched in October 2020 as a Digital India initiative. 2. It is administered by the Defence Accounts Department through the Principal Controller of Defence Accounts (Pensions) located in New Delhi. Which of the above is/are correct?

Show answer

Correct answer: A — 1 only

SPARSH was launched in October 2020. It is administered through the PCDA (Pensions) in Prayagraj, not New Delhi.

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