Latest news with #SSSohi


Indian Express
27-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Struggling with basic tasks like logging in, military pensioners say SPARSH portal fails them
The Ministry of Defence launched SPARSH (System for Pension Administration Raksha) to simplify pension delivery for India's military veterans. But many ex-servicemen say the centralised digital system has only added to their troubles — from inaccessible interfaces to endless corrections that never seem to stick. At the SPARSH facilitation centre in Chandigarh Sector 9, the complaints keep coming. Most are from veterans and widows struggling with basic tasks like logging in, uploading life certificates, or fixing small errors in their pension records. 'The pension comes, but when something goes wrong, the system turns into a maze,' said Lt Colonel S S Sohi (retd), president of the Ex-Servicemen's Grievance Cell. 'Even a misspelt name or wrong date of birth takes multiple online applications to correct.' The NGO, active since 2003, holds weekly meetings where veterans line up with unresolved cases. Many lack the digital literacy or family support to manage an online-only system. And the facilitation centre has no authority to amend records. 'We just collect forms and forward them. After that, it's out of our hands,' a staffer at the centre said. Among the initiative's loudest critics is retired army officer Lt Col R K Bhardwaj, who is spearheading a social media campaign under the hashtag #SPARSHFailsVeterans. He says nearly half of all military pensioners, especially older veterans in rural areas, still cannot access or use the portal effectively. 'Many don't even know how to log in, and the website keeps throwing errors,' Bhardwaj wrote on social media. According to Bhardwaj, tens of thousands of complaints have been stuck in the pipeline for over a year. A Defence Accounts meeting in Lucknow last October revealed that about 6.5 lakh pension-related grievances remained unresolved. The cases are often Kafkaesque. Subedar Pritam Singh, retired from the Army, is still 'dead' on official papers decades after he survived an attack on a train in 1984 that led to his wrongful death declaration. He now receives his pension but continues to submit life certificates every year to prove he exists. For an 85-year-old widow in a remote village, SPARSH has turned what used to be a simple visit to her bank into a monthly ordeal. Illiterate and without digital devices, she relies entirely on neighbours to navigate the portal. Others, like Vinder Singh, face bureaucratic nightmares unrelated to the software. Singh, who lost all his service records and savings when his bag was stolen in 1997, has been unable to restore his documents despite years of effort. 'Without those papers, you are nothing,' he said. Veterans' frustration with SPARSH has even reached Parliament. On March 10, Rajya Sabha MP Sagarika Ghose sought data on how many ex-servicemen remain stranded without pensions. Veterans are now demanding that those above 60 or retired before 2016 be allowed to opt back into the old bank-based system. Some are even calling for a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) audit of SPARSH's performance. Col Sohi says his NGO will keep fighting. 'We're not here to criticise. We just want the system to work. Our veterans deserve at least that,' he said. 'If letters to the authorities don't work, we take legal recourse—and not one of our cases has been dismissed.' The writers are interns with The Indian Express.


Time of India
10-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
7.5km push, sugarcane gift: 1971 war veterans relive tales of courage & camaraderie
From (L to R) Lt Col S S Sohi, Honorary Captain Makhan Singh and Master Warrant Officer Joginder Singh MOHALI: A wave of nostalgia swept through a gathering of 1971 India-Pakistan war veterans of Mohali as they recounted their heroic exploits. Stationed at key locations such as 3BRD in Chandigarh, Attari-Wagah borders, Nathula in Sikkim, Kupwara in Jammu and Kashmir and Halwara air base, these men once served on the frontlines and in strategic technical roles. Today, they enjoy peaceful retirement in the comfort of their homes in Mohali, but their stories continue to inspire. Lt Col S S Sohi , then a young 2nd Lieutenant in the 3rd Bihar Regiment, shared vivid memories of his deployment in Tangdhar and Teetwal villages in the Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir. "We were holding the Nagina Post and were assigned the mission to capture Wanjal Post from Pakistan control. We successfully advanced 7.5km into enemy territory. Operation Sindoor India's air defence systems shoot down Pak drones in J&K, Punjab & Rajasthan India-Pakistan tensions: Delhi airport issues travel advisory Operation Sindoor: Multiple explosions heard at several Pakistan air bases That land remains with us to this day," he recalled with pride. His unit's valour was recognised with gallantry awards. Lt Col Sohi said even today, power blackouts in Mohali trigger flashes of the war in his memory. Honorary Captain Makhan Singh, then a Sepoy in the 2nd Sikh Regiment, was initially posted at Nathula Pass in Sikkim before being relocated to the Attari-Wagah border. Despite being less equipped than their Pakistani counterparts, he proudly recounted the capture of a Pakistani Major and two Sepoys, along with their weapons. "Their technology may have been superior, but our willpower was unmatched," he said. Singh's battalion included decorated soldiers like Sepoy Hoshiar Singh, awarded the Mahavir Chakra (MVC), and Gian Singh, a Vir Chakra (VC) recipient. Master Warrant Officer (MWO) Joginder Singh, an Air Force veteran, contributed to the war effort from the technical side, preparing Vampire Jet Fighters for combat. Then a Corporal, he remembered being moved without briefing, only to realise mid-air aboard a Dakota aircraft that war had broken out. "We landed at Chandigarh Air Force station and were driven to Halwara air base in private trucks," he said. Joginder Singh also shared a heartwarming story of civilian hospitality during their journey. "As we passed Morinda, my fellow airmen, mostly from south India, wished to taste sugarcane. When we stopped, local farmers and villagers generously packed sugarcane stacks into our trucks. Later, near PAU Ludhiana, a group of students handed us fruits and urged us to return victorious." Joginder Singh later served at 3BRD-12 Wing Chandigarh with MI-8 helicopters in 1985.