Defence Accounts SPARSH event: Rs 40 lakh in cheques distributed, Veer Naris honoured

The 214th SPARSH Outreach Programme of the Defence Accounts Department was organized by the Controller of Defence Accounts (CGDA), in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, recently.

More than 1100 defence veterans and family pensioners from Thiruvananthapuram and nearby districts attended the programme, which was inaugurated by Governor of Kerala Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar.

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A statement from the Ministry of Defence stated that cheques worth Rs 40 lakh were distributed by the Governor of Kerala to five defence pensioners and family pensioners whose grievances were redressed through Sparsh. He also honoured six Veer Naris whose husbands had made the supreme sacrifice on the line of duty.

In his address, the Governor praised the sacrifices of the Veer Naris and addressed them as Veer Matas. He congratulated the Defence Accounts Department for opening dedicated SPARSH Service Centres in 12 out of the 14 districts in Kerala.

He also urged the Department to open two more Sparsh Service Centres in Idukki and Malappuram to ensure 100% coverage in the state. He lauded the efforts of CDA Chennai in setting up thirty help desks in coordination with CGDA headquarters, PCDA (Pensions) Prayagraj, eight Record Offices, four Banks, and other agencies to assist defence pensioners and family pensioners in resolving SPARSH-related issues.

Addressing the gathering, Raj Kumar Arora, Controller General of Defence Accounts, said that the SPARSH outreach programmes are conducted across the country to resolve maximum number of grievances and provide pension-related services at the doorsteps of pensioners. He highlighted that CGDA disbursed the One Rank One Pension (OROP) 3 arrears of more than Rs 1200 crores to more than 20 lakh defence pensioners and family pensioners within a span of just 15 days.