Executive Summary:
This document outlines the implementation status of the One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme, technological improvements to the SPARSH portal, and pension arrears owed to ex-servicemen. It details the revision of pensions every five years since July 1, 2014, and the payment of arrears under OROPI and OROPII to eligible beneficiaries. The document also addresses improvements in the SPARSH portal to facilitate timely pension disbursement and provides data on pension arrears paid to ex-servicemen in specific rural districts of Tamil Nadu.
Key Points / Main Content:
OROP Implementation:
- Pension revision for Armed Forces Personnel occurs every five years, effective from July 1, 2014, under the OROP scheme.
- Second and third revisions under OROP were implemented on July 1, 2019, and July 1, 2024, respectively.
- Arrears for OROPI and OROPII have been paid to all eligible Defence Forces Personnel.
- 25.20 lakh eligible pensioners have received pension revisions and arrears under OROPIII.
SPARSH Portal Improvements:
- SPARSH (System for Pension Administration-Raksha) was launched in October 2020 as a Digital India initiative.
- Over 31 lakh Defence Pensioners (including Service and Defence Civilian pensioners) are onboarded on SPARSH, with pensions directly credited to their bank accounts.
- Modules developed in the last two years include Reservist Pension, Invalid Pension, Prorata Pension for PBOR, LTA (Life Time Arrears), FMA (Fixed Medical Allowance) updation, IT saving for Jeevan Raksha Padak, and integration with TRACES for Form 16 generation.
- SPARSH now facilitates pension payments to Nepal-Domiciled Gorakhas (NDGs) through Nepal SBI Bank and Everest Bank Ltd; a dedicated email ID supports NDG NRI pensioners.
- Technical improvements include increased bandwidth to 256 MBPS and storage from 600 GB to 200 TB, along with improvements to the mobile application.
Pension Arrears in Tamil Nadu:
- Records of pension arrears owed to ex-servicemen residing in rural districts of Tamil Nadu are not maintained.
- OROPII and OROPIII arrears paid to ex-servicemen in Erode, Tiruppur, and Namakkal are detailed, including the number of eligible beneficiaries and the amounts disbursed.
Impact Analysis:
Ex-Servicemen:
Impact: Affected by pension revisions under the OROP scheme, disbursement of arrears, and access to pension services via the SPARSH portal.
Action Required: Ensure accounts are accurately reflected in SPARSH.
Defence Pensioners:
Impact: Directly benefit from the improvements to the SPARSH portal, leading to more efficient and transparent pension administration.
Action Required: Utilize the enhanced features of the SPARSH portal and mobile application for pension-related services.
Nepal-Domiciled Gorakha (NDG) Pensioners:
Impact: Now able to receive pension payments through Nepal SBI Bank and Everest Bank Ltd.
Action Required: Utilize the provided email for support.
Key Entities Referenced
One Rank One Pension (OROP): A scheme for revision of pension of Armed Forces Personnel every five years.
SPARSH (System for Pension Administration-Raksha): A Digital India initiative for managing Defence pensions, including sanctioning and disbursing pensions to Armed Forces Personnel and Defence Civilians across India, launched in October 2020.
Tamil Nadu: A state in southern India where pension arrears to ex-servicemen are being tracked in rural districts.
Erode, Tamil Nadu: A rural district in Tamil Nadu where pension arrears data for ex-servicemen is being tracked.
Tiruppur, Tamil Nadu: A rural district in Tamil Nadu where pension arrears data for ex-servicemen is being tracked.
Namakkal, Tamil Nadu: A rural district in Tamil Nadu where pension arrears data for ex-servicemen is being tracked.
Nepal-Domiciled Gorakhas (NDGs): Pensioners residing in Nepal who are receiving pension payments through SPARSH.
Digital India: A Government of India initiative under which SPARSH was launched.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF DEFENCE
DEPARTMENT OF EX-SERVICEMEN WELFARE
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2138
TO BE ANSWERED ON 01.08.2025
IMPLEMENTATION OF ONE RANK ONE PENSION
2138. SHRI K E PRAKASH:
Will the Minister of DEFENCE be pleased to state:
(a) the current status of implementation of One Rank One Pension (OROP) including the
number of cases pending for resolution;
(b) the details of technological/administrative improvements made in the SPARSH portal
during the last two years to facilitate timely pension disbursement; and
(c) the extent of pension arrears owed to ex-servicemen particularly in rural districts of Tamil
Nadu such as Erode, Tiruppur and Namakkal?
A N S W E R
MINISTER OF STATE (SHRI SANJAY SETH)
IN THE MINISTRY OF DEFENCE
(a) Revision of Pension of Armed Forces Personnel has been done in every five years
w.e.f 01.07.2014 under One Rank One Pension (OROP) Scheme. Accordingly, second and
third revision under OROP has been done w.e.f 01.07.2019 and 01.07.2024 respectively.
Arrears on account of OROP-I and OROP-II have already been paid to all eligible
beneficiaries of Defence Forces Personnel. The revision of pension and arrears thereof have
been paid to 25.20 lakh eligible pensioners under OROP-III.
(b) Details of technological and administrative improvements made in the SPARSH portal
during the last two years are as under: -
(i) SPARSH (System for Pension Administration-Raksha), launched in October
2020, is a “Digital India” initiative of the Government of India that aims to
provide a comprehensive, transparent and efficient solution for managing
Defence pensions, including sanctioning and disbursing pensions to Armed
Forces Personnel and Defence Civilians across India.
(ii) At present, more than 31 lakh Defence Pensioners (Including Service and
Defence Civilian pensioners) are onboarded on SPARSH and their pensions
are directly credited into their bank accounts by SPARSH.
….2/--2-
(iii) The modules developed during last two years in SPARSH are (a) Reservist
Penison, (b) Invalid Pension, (c) Pro-rata Pension for PBOR, (d) LTA (Life
Time Arrears), (e) Fixed Medical Allowance (FMA) updation, (f) IT saving
for Jeevan Raksha Padak and (g) Integration with TRACES for generation of
Form-16, etc.
(iv) SPARSH has been enabled to make payment of pension to Nepal-Domiciled
Gorakhas (NDGs) pensioners. NDG pensioners can now draw their pension
from Nepal SBI Bank and Everest Bank Ltd. In order to extend services of
SPARSH to NDG / NRI pensioners, a dedicated email id has been created.
(v) Tech Improvements in SPARSH portal include improvement in bandwidth to
256 MBPS and increase in storage from 600 GB to 200 TB. The Mobile
Application has been also improved.
(c) Pension arrears owed to ex-servicemen residing in rural districts of Tamil Nadu is not
maintained. However, the extent of pension arrears (OROP II & OROP III) paid to
ex-servicemen, particularly in rural districts of Tamil Nadu such as Erode, Tiruppur
and Namakkal is as under:
OROP-II Data in r/o districts of Tamil Nadu State
Name Total No. of Total No. of Total No. of Amount of
eligible beneficiary Non- Arrear paid (in
pensioners pensioners beneficiary Rs.)
pensioners
Erode 821 728 93 70856122
Triuppur 5 2 3 89742
Namakkal 757 647 110 59166060
OROP-III Data in r/o districts of Tamil Nadu State
Name Total No. of- Total No. of Total No. of Amount of
eligible beneficiary Non- Arrear paid (in
pensioners pensioners beneficiary Rs.)
pensioners
Erode 1389 1128 261 7353054
Triuppur 18 15 3 106426
Namakkal 1186 985 201 5115264
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