Why Are Military Veterans Protesting Against SPARSH?

What Are the Aims of SPARSH?
SPARSH was designed with three core goals:
Digitize & Centralize: Replace outdated bank-led pension systems with a unified online portal.
Speed Up Disbursals: Ensure faster pension payments by automating approvals and record-keeping.
Simplify Maintenance: Let veterans submit life certificates, update personal details, and track pensions in one place.
The vision was noble—cut red tape, reduce errors, and empower veterans. But reality tells a different story.

Why Veterans Are Battling SPARSH
Despite its promises, SPARSH has become a maze of digital roadblocks:
Accessibility Crisis: Elderly or rural veterans struggle with tech literacy. Simple tasks like uploading life certificates or logging in require external help.
Rampant Errors: Misspelled names, incorrect birth dates, or even mistaken “death” tags plague records. Fixing these demands repeated online applications, dragging veterans into endless loops.
Inadequate Support: Facilitation centers only collect forms—they can’t resolve issues. Without family or digital access, veterans feel abandoned.

Real-Life Cases Exposing Flaws
A retired Subedar, wounded in combat, is still marked “deceased” in SPARSH decades later. He must annually “prove he’s alive” via life certificates.
An 85-year-old widow in a remote village relies on neighbors to navigate the portal—her pension hangs on their availability.
One veteran lost all service documents in a theft; SPARSH’s rigid processes blocked document recovery for years.

Mounting Outrage and Demands for Change
6.5 Lakh+ Pending Grievances: Backlogs keep growing, with veterans stranded without pensions.
#SPARSHFailsVeterans: Social media campaigns and parliamentary questions spotlight systemic failures.

Key Demands:
Option to revert to bank-led pensions for pre-2016 retirees or those aged 60+.
CAG (Comptroller and Auditor General) audit of SPARSH’s functionality.
Veteran-friendly design updates: offline support, simpler interfaces, and error-correction cells.
How Veterans Are Fighting Back
Grassroots Advocacy: Ex-servicemen groups host weekly clinics to resolve SPARSH issues collectively.
Legal Wins: Courts haven’t dismissed a single veteran-led case against SPARSH glitches—proving systemic flaws.
As one veteran states: “We don’t oppose digitization. We demand dignity.”


5 Key Q&A on SPARSH
Q1: What is SPARSH’s primary objective?
A: To digitize military pension management, ensuring faster, error-free disbursals through a centralized portal.
Q2: Why are veterans struggling with SPARSH?
A: Tech barriers (especially for the elderly), relentless record errors, and zero on-ground support make basic tasks impossible.
Q3: Can veterans switch back to the old pension system?
A: Not currently. Veterans demand this option for pre-2016 retirees and seniors, but SPARSH remains mandatory.
Q4: How widespread are SPARSH failures?
A: With 6.5+ lakh unresolved grievances and viral campaigns like #SPARSHFailsVeterans, it’s a nationwide crisis.
Q5: What reforms do veterans seek?
A: Simplified interfaces, offline assistance, faster error resolution, and a CAG audit to fix accountability.