Project NAMAN: Empowering India's Military Community

Overview of Project NAMAN

• The Indian Army has launched the first phase of Project NAMAN.
• Project NAMAN is designed to provide dedicated support and services to Defence Pensioners, Veterans, and their families.
• It is centered around the implementation of the SPARSH (System for Pension Administration Raksha) digital pension system.
• The project aims to address the critical need for accessible facilitation points for Veterans and Next of Kin (NOK) across the country.

Establishment of Common Service Centres (CSCs)

• Project NAMAN involves the establishment of reception and facilitation centres, enabled through a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
• The MoU was signed in September 2023 between the Indian Army's Directorate of Indian Army Veterans, Common Service Centre (CSC) e-Governance India Limited, and HDFC Bank Limited.
• In the first phase, 14 CSCs have been established at key locations across India, including major cities and military stations.
• These CSCs are dedicated to serving Army Veterans, Pensioners, War Widows, and NOKs, offering a range of services.

Services Provided at the CSCs

• The CSCs provide SPARSH-enabled pension services, allowing Defence Pensioners to access and manage their pension-related processes.
• In addition to pension services, the CSCs offer Government to Citizen (G2C) services and Business to Consumer (B2C) services at a single, convenient location.
• The G2C services include access to various e-governance services, while the B2C services cater to the needs of the broader community.
• By consolidating these services under one roof, the project aims to simplify and streamline the support available to the military community.

Entrepreneurial Opportunities and Sustainability

• Each CSC is managed by a Village Level Entrepreneur (VLE), selected from among the veterans or NOKs by the respective Local Military Authorities (LMAs).
• The VLEs receive comprehensive training from CSC e-Governance India Limited to deliver the required services effectively.
• HDFC Bank provides a monthly monetary grant of ₹ 20,000 to the VLEs for the first 12 months, assisting in the stabilization and sustainability of the centres.
• This initiative not only delivers essential services to veterans and their families but also creates entrepreneurial opportunities for them, empowering them to contribute meaningfully to their communities.