Ministry of Defence Expands SPARSH Services with Four New Bank Partnerships

The primary aim of these partnerships is to bridge the gap for pensioners residing in remote areas who may lack access to digital services.

The Ministry of Defence has taken a significant step forward in enhancing pensioner services by forging partnerships with Bank of India, Canara Bank, Central Bank of India, and Utkarsh Small Finance Bank. Under the newly signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs), these banks will serve as SPARSH (System for Pension Administration [Raksha]) Service Centres across 1,128 branches nationwide.

The primary aim of these partnerships is to bridge the gap for pensioners residing in remote areas who may lack access to digital services. These Service Centres will facilitate various pension-related services such as profile updates, grievance registration, digital identification, and pension inquiries. Importantly, pensioners will have free access to these centres, with the Defence Accounts Department (DAD) bearing nominal service charges.

With these MoUs in place, SPARSH Services will be available at over 26,000 branches across 15 partner banks nationwide. This expansion supplements the existing infrastructure, which includes 199 dedicated service centres of DAD and over 3.75 lakh Common Service Centers spread throughout the country.

SPARSH, an initiative by the Ministry of Defence, aims to revolutionize pension administration for defence pensioners by emphasizing efficiency and transparency. Through these strategic partnerships, SPARSH seeks to provide comprehensive support to pensioners and ensure their needs are met effectively across the country.