Indian Railway remembers Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan (51 SAG, NSG 7 Bihar, Bihar Regiment), an unforgettable Indian Army soldier, most remembered for fighting the toughest of his battles, the Operation Black Tornado – The 26/11 Mumbai Attacks. His bravery in commanding the special action group, fighting at Taj Hotel, floor by floor to rescue hostages as a team and at one stage, after losing his team to the extremely hostile firing, he fought the terrorists alone, until his last breath. As a dedication, Indian Railway salutes Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan, honouring his leadership of the highest order and bowing to his supreme sacrifice for the nation, by posthumously presenting TKD WDP4B 40049 to him, naming it “ Sandeep Unnikrishnan”💐🫡🇮🇳
Kartarpur Corridor reunion: Mahendra Kaur meets her long-lost brother Sheikh Abdul Aziz after more than 75 years
A Sikh woman and her brother, separated during the Partition more than 75 years ago, were reunited at the landmark Kartarpur Corridor, in an emotional reunion made possible through social media.
An other separated family meetup at kartarpur Corridor (a Corridor of Peace). Mr sheikh Abdul Aziz and his sister Mohinder kaur who got separated at the time of partition in 1947 met at Gurdwara Sri Darbar Sahib kartarpur. Both families were very happy and praised the government pic.twitter.com/TACb7O7SjH
— PMU Kartarpur Official (@PmuKartarpur) May 20, 2023
Mahendra Kaur, 81, from India, reunited with her 78-year-old brother Sheikh Abdul Aziz from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir at the Kartarpur Corridor after they found out through a social media post that they were siblings separated during the Partition in 1947.
The two families discovered that Kaur and Aziz were estranged siblings after connecting through a social media post detailing the separation of a man and his sister during the Partition.
During the Partition, the family of Sardar Bhajan Singh from the Indian side of Punjab was tragically torn apart when Aziz relocated to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, while his other family members remained in India, said Imran Sheikh, a family member of Aziz.
He married at a young age but always had a longing to reunite with his parents and other family members.
On Sunday, Kaur and Aziz arrived at the Kartapur Corridor on wheel-chairs. Emotional scenes of the family reunion were witnessed, with the family members singing songs and showering flowers to express their love.
Overwhelmed with joy, Kaur repeatedly hugged her brother and kissed his hands and the two families also visited Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur together, sitting side by side and sharing a meal.
They also exchanged gifts as a symbol of their reunion.
Following the joyful reunion, the Kartarpur administration adorned both families with garlands and distributed sweets.
The Kartarpur Corridor links Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan’s Punjab province, the final resting place of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev, with the Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur district in India’s Punjab state.
The 4 km-long corridor provides visa-free access to Indian Sikh pilgrims to visit the Darbar Sahib.
Punjab govt gives approval for shorter route construction to Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport from Chandigarh
The Punjab government has given in principle approval for constructing a shorter and alternate route to the Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport from Chandigarh, officials said on Monday.
The proposed routes will reduce the travel distance to around 3.5 km, reducing the time from 25 minutes to five minutes.
The Chandigarh Administration has been deliberating to develop a shorter and alternate route to the airport as the existing and single route is long and the commuters have to travel 11.5 km to reach the airport from Chandigarh.
The alternate route has been prepared after consultation of all the stakeholders — the Punjab government, the Ministry of Defence, the Indian Air Force, the Chandigarh International Airport Ltd, and the Ministry of Railways, an official statement said.
The Punjab government has also given its approval for acquiring the land falling in its jurisdiction, whereas the in principle approvals have already been taken from the other stakeholders.
The new route is planned to start from 200 metres before the T-point intersection of Vikas Marg (coming from Sector 43 bus stand) and Purv Marg (coming from Tribune Chowk).
Manipur remained tense but calm on Tuesday after incidents of violence were reported a day before in the northeastern state where at least 70 people were killed in ethnic violence since May 3.
Business establishments remained closed on Tuesday morning and people were asked by security personnel to remain indoors through the public address system in New Chekon area of Imphal East district, where a mob torched two houses after four armed people, including a former MLA, forced people to shut their shops on Monday.
Locals, armed with licensed guns, were found guarding their localities against possible attacks by constructing makeshift “bunkers” in a few places including Pukhao and Leitanpokpi in Imphal East district and five such “bunkers” were destroyed by security forces in Sinam Khaithong village in Imphal West on Monday, police said.
Sit-in demonstrations, mostly by the womenfolk, were reported in the valley districts, with the agitators demanding that the Suspension of Operation (SoO) with Kuki militants be abrogated and action be taken against them. They also demanded that “illegal Myanmarese immigrants” be deported, poppy cultivation be stopped in the hill areas and also protested the hill MLAs’ demand for bifurcation of the state.
People living in areas adjoining the hills have complained of Kuki militants coming down to the valley and opening fire on civilians before fleeing, with at least three people injured in one such recent incident in Moidangpok village in Imphal West district.
Curfew relaxation period has been cut by two hours and the restriction is now from 5 am to 2 pm.
Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Monday evening appealed to the people to stop torching houses of innocent people.
He said three people, including an ex-MLA, were arrested in the New Chekon incident. The mob had beaten up one of the armed men, while the other three had managed to flee from the spot.
No casualty was reported in the torching incident as the empty houses were used for providing rented accommodation to people.
“We will initiate legal action against those involved in illegal activities… We have also decided to acquire 20 more companies of security personnel from the central forces,” the CM said.
Around 10,000 Army and Assam Rifles jawans are currently deployed in the state. Security forces are conducting aerial surveillance by unmanned aerial vehicles and Cheetah helicopters.
The CM said action will also be taken against those involved in inciting hate and enmity on social media inside and outside the state.
Internet services remain suspended since violence started in order to stop rumours and hate messages from being spread. However, it is alleged that the warring Meitei and Kuki community people living outside the state are spreading hatred in their social media posts.
“We need to engage in talks by sitting together to bring in normalcy and restore peace,” the chief minister said.
Clashes broke out in Manipur after a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organised in the hill districts on May 3 to protest against the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.
The violence in Manipur was preceded by tension over the eviction of Kuki villagers from reserve forest land, which had led to a series of smaller agitations.
Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur’s population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley. Tribals — Nagas and Kukis — constitute another 40 per cent of the population and reside in the hill districts.
The ethnic clashes claimed over 70 lives and some 10,000 army and para-military personnel had to be deployed to restore normalcy in the northeastern state.
Fresh incidents of violence were reported in Manipur today as two abandoned houses were torched by a mob in Imphal East district after two armed miscreants forced people to shut their shops, police officials said.
However, no casualty was reported due to the arson. The mob beat up one of the miscreants while the other managed to flee. The two were subsequently taken into custody. Army men deployed in the area rushed to the spot and used force and fired teargas shells to disperse the mob, resulting in minor injuries to a few people, the officials said.
Locals protested the incident by burning tyres on the road and following the incident, the curfew hours in Imphal East district, which had earlier been relaxed, were extended, they said. The government also issued a fresh notification extending the suspension of internet services for another five days till May 26.
The clashes broke out in Manipur after a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organised in the hill districts on May 3 to protest the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe status. The violence was preceded by tension over the eviction of tribal Kuki villagers from reserve forest land, which had led to a series of smaller agitations.
Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur’s population and live mostly in the Imphal valley. Tribal Nagas and Kukis constitute another 40 per cent of the population and reside in the hill districts. The ethnic clashes have so far claimed over 70 lives and some 10,000 Army and paramilitary personnel had to be deployed to bring back normalcy in the state.
The Border Security Force intercepted a fifth Pakistani drone in four days that intruded into India from along the International Border (IB) in Punjab to drop a drugs consignment, a force spokesperson said on Tuesday.
The flying object was “downed” around 9 pm on Monday in the Amritsar sector in Bhaini Rajputana village of Amritsar district, he said.
The BSF recovered the black-coloured drone, a quadcopter of ‘DJ Matrice 300 RTK’ make, with an attached payload of 2.1 kilogram suspected heroin attached through an iron ring, the spokesperson said.
A small torch in switched-on condition was also found attached to the drone so that drugs smugglers could detect the consignment and pick it up from the field on the Indian side, he said.
This is the fifth reported interception of a “rogue” unmanned aerial vehicle along the Punjab border since May 19.
A few more instances of troops picking up the buzzing sound of a drone were reported over the last four days but nothing more could be established, officials said.
The BSF troops shot down two drones and intercepted a third along the front on Friday last. A BSF spokesperson had said the third drone fell into Pakistani territory and could not be recovered.
A drone that “violated Indian airspace on Saturday night (May 20) was intercepted by firing in the jurisdiction of the Amritsar sector” and the force recovered 3.3 kilogram of suspected narcotics that was slung under it.
Punjab shares an over 500-kilometre-long front with Pakistan that is guarded by the BSF, and drones and unmanned aerial vehicles taking flight from the neighbouring country into India with drugs and arms and ammunition payloads have become a matter of concern for security agencies over the last three-four years.
Bank cum CPPC system was long digitized- so the other basic “Jumla” USP by which they (including Defence Minister/Secretary) are deceiving the Prime Minister by giving him the feedback that MoD is increasing the digitization footprint towards achieving the Digital India goals.
Editor’s Note
For the past two years, SPARSH has been a significant topic of discussion in both print and electronic media, particularly in various social groups. This comprehensive article by Cdr Ravindra Pathak and Wg Cdr Ravi Mani provides a detailed overview of SPARSH and its implications for military and retired military personnel. It aims to adequately inform all readers about the subject and associated issues. We urge you to circulate and publicize this information, ensuring it reaches the policymakers and top executive decision-makers who can act in the best interests of military personnel and pensioners.
The question arises: who is the best person to address and rectify this apparent discrepancy? What options do armed forces personnel and their hierarchy, including the Defence Minister, have to correct this issue?.
Ideally, a team comprising users/CGDA (SPARSH), TCS, and representatives from all three services should be formed to understand and resolve all related issues.
Foreword By Group Captain AG Bewoor (Retd)
Attached is a paper written jointly by Commander Ravindra Pathak and Wing Cdr Ravi Mani.
You are fully aware about Sparsh and its problems. We all accept that one day we all will be with Sparsh, and accept this inevitability. My personal opinion is this. Sparsh is getting pensioners every month as they retire from service, that influx will continue and cannot be interrupted. But it is also true that Sparsh is unable to handle all their pensioners and absolutely ridiculous situations are developing with disastrous results.
Let Sparsh stabilise with their Pre 2016 retirees they have taken over so far, and the steady influx they keep getting every month. Until they can genuinely tell themselves and prove to everyone that they are rock steady and have de-bugged every problem, they must stop importing more Pre – 2016 pensioners. These pensioners are happily receiving pensions from CPPC via Paying Banks. Leave them alone till you are established and the system is running flawlessly without any impediments. This cannot happen swiftly, it must take time, it is not magic. They are doing it thru TCS I believe, Pathak & Mani know everything.
I can write to you and get a loud demonstration of the problem to be heard world wide through MVI, but what about the widow in a small town? The old Lt Col in his village without any children/grandchildren to do his digital work
They are safe with their CPPC-Paying Bank system, he can talk to them, he knows the bank employees, they know him as Tauji, and his wife is Chaachi ji. But Sparsh will treat him as just another number with a password. Such old pensioners in the evening of their lives should in truth be left alone to continue with the existing system till both pass on. The Govt pays just ₹ 12 per pensioner to the bank. Consider the cost of reviving Taujis pension if screwed by Sparsh, and Sparsh has screwed hundreds of pensions.
If you wish to seek clarifications from the officers, I have copied this email to them. But I am sure this matter will be well recd on MVI site. It is a severe fauji problem totally neglected by MOD/CGDA and they are running roughshod over us.
This integrated system for automation of sanction and disbursement of Defence Pension was formulated in 2017 and launched in July 2021 with the stated objective of providing a single window only for Defence Pensioners to avail all Pension related services, including the facility to view their Pension details, Pension entitlement, view and manage Pensioner profile details, Income Tax forms etc.
It was also based on the premise of good and extensive internet connectivity even in remote rural areas including an online facility for grievance redressal and correction of any data/ details of Pensioners.
The system had aimed at:
Ensuring payment of Right Pension at the Right Time.
Reduced errors and processing time due to data capture at source and automation of process.
Introduction of Pensioners Data Verification (PDV) to ensure transparency and pensioner satisfaction.
Centralized revision and disbursement leading to shortened timelines and high accuracy.
Centralized grievance portal for improved management of customer grievances raised via multiple channels.
Integration with external agencies for validation of all data related to a pensioner.
SBI reaffirms its commitment to Indian Army; Renews MoU with unique benefits to Defence Personnel, Veterans, and their families; File Photo
Having been conceived in the air-conditioned portals of the HQ Controller General of Defence Accounts in the National Capital with good connectivity, it was to be the new system to replace a well working and well settled system (now called the Legacy system) which had its own hiccups initially but had the advantage of easy accessibility at the door step through bank branches with human touch and interaction by concerned Bank Staff who were paid Rs 12/- per month per pensioner for all the services.
The issues faced by pensioners in the legacy system were largely on account of incorrect data received from Office of the Principal Controller of Defence Accounts (Pension) who transcribed personal information provided by Service HQ/Defence Ordnance Factories etc. It was also due to absence of knowledgeable staff( due to rotation of Bank’s branch staff) or delayed payments due staff’s lack of knowledge on Defence Pension Regulations and the myriad Circulars..
With banks setting Central Pension Processing Cells (CPPC) which largely led to data integration and by and large timely and accurate payment of pension. Even with the system as it exists/existed if the bank delayed payments the RBI had mandated payment of interest on delayed payment due reason attributed to banks. The errors in the database, however small in number in relation to the numbers serviced, remained an issue.
Photo Courtesy – State Bank of India (SBI)
However, the advantages of the CPPC system were:
Personal touch and interaction
No need for any digital knowledge or internet or smart phones on the part of the pensioner
Ease of communication in local language
Easy accessibility as the Bank was just a short distance from the residence.
Excellent training of CPPC staff leading to digitization, and reducing delays and errors in pension disbursement, as well as speedier, centralized grievance resolution
Now let us examine if the new system has actually maintained the advantages of the legacy system.
CPPC System
SPARSH
Personal touch and interaction
Only with PCDA(P) or DPDO
Minimal need for any digital knowledge on part of pensioner
Digital knowledge mandatory or dependence on others (possibility of being scammed)
Ease of communication in local language
Only internet communication with PCDA(P) or DPO
Easy accessibility
Pensioners need to travel to reach out for help in case of any problems as the Common Service Centers are not near their residence
Introduction of CPPC leading to digitization reducing delays in pension disbursement and speedier grievance resolution
The heavy digitization has become a major problem for digitally handicapped
NRI who have no access to the system due Geo-fencing of the system
Banks paid interest for delayed in payments due banks fault.
In SPARSH there is no such provision so no fear of penalty for negligence.
There was an inherent safety in that possibility of pensioner being conned or cheated was minimal ( banks have many layers of checks and balances) and if one was he had the Ombudsman system to fall back on .
Considering the possibility of a digitally handicapped pensioner being cheated when he approaches any one of the 4 lakh Common service Centers set up as private help centers with no control and no accountability the new system is prone to high risk of pensioners being cheated and/ or being financially charged for a service supposed to be free.
NRI pensioners and those away from India
NRI pensioners and those away from India
for any reason had access to their bank accounts and could submit Life certificates online also.
for any reason have no access to SPARSH site as it is Geo-fenced resulting in inability of these pensioners to submit their ALC online or render any complaints
Database accuracy of veterans was poor, specially for earlier vintages( pre 2016, specially pre 2006)
Database continues to be poor and unfortunately errors are compounded for all vintages( including recent) during the process of data transfer to Sparsh from Banks and Record offices.
KYC was not required as long as the account was verified by the bank( thus the pensioner was verified when he was migrated to SPARSH without his consent).
The SPARSH now needs re-verification of a verified pensioner via Aadhar card. This has a major handicap as the Aadhar Name format and the name format of PPO do not match resulting in demographic failure. This happens only in SPARSH but not in PASSPORT applications when names on passport and Aadhar are having some differences.
Bank signs MoU with Indian Navy offering special banking services via ‘Baroda Military Salary Package’ to serving & retired personnel; Photo courtesy – Bank of Baroda
So is that the total sum of problems with the new system? Certainly not but for the purposes of increasing awareness of the Prime Minister these would suffice as examples to prove that the system was ill conceived, not correctly implemented and further that the authorities are not even willing to accept /acknowledge faults despite many mails and letters to all authorities concerned including the highest office at whose behest this digital drive is being forced.
Is there a solution? Yes if suggestions are accepted. Have they been? No, except that no pension has yet been stopped for many pensioners (in thousands) who have not been able to submit their annual life certificate due in Nov 2022 till date..
In conclusion the new system has not achieved its stated aim so far. There is a need for a dialogue with the suffering pensioners.
As regards Database the new system does allow correction to certain data without any document support but critical data still needs document support. This data will continue to be far more corrupted as the older pensioners migrate due their data being hand written and thus has many shortcoming due entry errors, wrong information provided by relatively illiterate pensioners.
To retrieve the situation the authorities have conducted a series of outreach programs at bigger military stations. The result has been minimal contact with pensioners who have disabilities and without electronic means with ever fewer solutions at a cost to the exchequer and the pensioner..
If however the staff at the number of Common Service Centers at all banks and PAO at the Records Offices of Regimental centers were fully made conversant with the new system the lasting availability of an informed and knowledgeable outreach staff would have been achieved without adding to the Pension budget which is perennially being commented as the bugbear. The staff at ZSWO is both inadequate as well as ill trained to take on this additional workload. More expenditure will be incurred just to achieve average (50%) satisfaction levels.
Bank cum CPPC system was long digitized- so the other basic “Jumla” USP by which they (including Defence Minister/Secretary) are deceiving the Prime Minister by giving him the feedback that MoD is increasing the digitization footprint towards achieving the Digital India goals.
About The Author
Cdr. Ravindra Waman Pathak (Retd) has been instrumental in retrieving Defense Land from Mrs Pratibha Patil, was a active member of IESM in veterans fight for OROP, is an authority on Pension related issues, is actively involved with ECHS work being on the advisory body of Khadki ECHS and has been recognized for his social work by being nominated as a Pune Hero in Indian Express. He was also awarded the Prerana Pursakar by Maharashtra Seva Sangh, Mulund. Since 2010 he has been fighting corruption in the Department of Sainik Welfare, Maharashtra and is keen on resolving Veterans issues with the department.
TRUE SOLDIER FROM HEART:KIND AND MAN OF WORDS : SUB AVTAR SINGH RAUNAK , SECY(HONY) NRI’s ESM , OF SANJHA MORCHA from Canada.
Sub Avtar Singh is a well-known name among Canadian Ex-Servicemen . After completing 17 Years of army Service in Corps of Signals and S/o ESM from armoured Regt ,after earning substantive rank of Sub. Now well settled in Canada . he is also Director at Victoria Canadain Immigration ,Mississauga ,Ontario, Canada and has office in Amritsar also .He is also Secy of INDIO-CANADIAN VERETAN GROUP..
Since he is Secy (Hony) NRI veterans of Sanjha Morcha , we would like to share his kind hearted generosity and concern towards the widows and who has been doing social service by helping the needy families. Sub Avtar Singh Raunak, on his recent visit to India,in Apiril 2023 , he met COL JAGDEEP SINGH,NODAL OFFR;ESM CEL at Jalandhar . He conveyed his desire towards assisting our ESM, VEER NARIS & WIDOWS in redressal of their grievances, resulting to financially sponsor ( on monthly basis )11 families of our Ex Non Pensioner Soldiers living in State of extreme Penury from Hoshiarpur and Jalandhar District. Even Though he lost his mother during visit to India .All these needy families have already received this financial assistance @ Rs2500/- each with effect from May 2023, which has brought smile on their faces . Sanjha Morcha along with CoL Jagdeepp Singh Nodal Officer ESM Cell sincerely express our Gratitude to Sub Avtar Singh Raunak for helping these needy families in distress . We Pray to Almighty to grant more powers and strength to Sub Avtar Singh Raunak to keep doing good work towards such Noble Causes. May God Bless him with Good health and Long Life.
State Stalwarts
CHIEF PATRON ALL INDIA SANJHA MORCHA
LT GEN JASBIR SINGH DHALIWAL, DOGRA
PATRON ALL INDIA SANJHA MORCHA
MAJOR GEN HARVIJAY SINGH, SENA MEDAL ,corps of signals
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PRESIDENT DISTT LUDHIANA : ALL INDIA EXSERVICEMEN SANJHA MORCHA
BRIG SS GILL ARTY
PRESIDENT PANCHKULA HARYANA UNIT SANJHA MORCHA
BRIG DALJIT THUKRAL (Retd) BENGAL SAPPERS
PRESIDENT DISTT MOHALI :ALL INDIA SANJHA MORCHA
COL BALBIR SINGH , ARTY
SECY (HONY) NRI’s ESMs , ALL INDIA SANJHA MORCHA
SUB AVTAR SINGH
+1(647)501-8112
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Droupadi Murmu
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General Anil Chauhan PVSM UYSM AVSM SM VSM
INDIAN FORCES CHIEFS
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General Upendra Dwivedi, PVSM, AVSM (30 Jun 2024 to Till Date)
