Under a special drive undertaken by the Medical Personnel Record Section Officers [MPRS(O)], more than Rs 18 crore in pending pension arrears have been disbursed, along with a substantial increase in monthly pensions. The initiative, under the aegis of the Director General Medical Services (Army), aims to resolve pension anomalies affecting veterans, spouses, and next of kin of officers from the Army Medical Corps, the Army Dental Corps, and the Military Nursing Services.
In a statement, the Ministry of Defence said that the initiative has addressed overdue cases related to Liberalised Family Pension (LFP), Special Family Pension (SFP), monetary rewards for gallantry awards, and One Rank One Pension (OROP) revisions. Veterans, widows, and family members are encouraged to verify their status through the SPARSH portal or by contacting MPRS(O) via Defence Pension Liaison Centres.
The initiative focused on resolving anomalies in pension classifications, rates, and categories, particularly for families eligible under LFP, SFP, and OROP.
Over Rs 8 crore has been disbursed to rightful beneficiaries through a compassionate outreach campaign that identified and contacted veterans and families who were previously unaware of their dues. Personalised Assistance Desks have been set up at liaison cells of CDA Pune and CDA Allahabad to assist families with documentation and facilitate faster disbursement. In addition, digital transparency measures have been introduced to provide real-time status updates and grievance redressal mechanisms, the statement read.
Lt Gen Sadhna Saxena Nair, Directorate General of Medical Services (Army), said, “Many veterans and their families had no idea that arrears were due to them because of gaps in the legacy system. We have reached out, verified, and ensured that what is rightfully theirs has been returned.”