Digital Life Certificate (DLC) generation has recorded a significant increase during the first five days of the Nationwide Digital Life Certificate Campaign 5, with nearly 40 lakh certificates generated against approximately 25 lakh during the corresponding period last year, marking a growth of 60 per cent.
Face authentication has also gained wider acceptance among pensioners, with its share rising from 61 per cent to nearly 80 per cent during the same period. Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh, launched the nationwide campaign on Friday and said the growing response reflected pensioners’ increasing confidence in technology-enabled services.
Addressing a press conference at the National Media Centre in New Delhi, the Minister said the campaign had evolved into a nationwide movement involving government departments, pension-disbursing banks, pensioners’ associations and families. He said digital innovation was making pension-related services more accessible, convenient and dignified for elderly citizens.
Singh highlighted the growing preference for face authentication, pointing out that of the 1.92 crore Digital Life Certificates generated during the previous year, approximately 1.17 crore were generated using this technology. He said the facility enables pensioners to submit their life certificates through a mobile phone without having to visit banks or government offices.
Tracing the evolution of the system, the Minister said the government had moved from conventional physical life certificates to fingerprint-based biometric authentication and subsequently introduced face authentication to address the difficulties faced by elderly pensioners. The technology has emerged as a convenient alternative, particularly for those who find it difficult to travel to banks and offices.
Pensioners’ role in building Viksit Bharat
Emphasising the importance of senior citizens in India’s development journey, Singh said pensioners’ experience, expertise and potential could make a valuable contribution to nation-building.
He noted that the country’s changing demographic and socio-economic landscape had made pensioners an increasingly significant segment of society. The number of central government pensioners has reached nearly 70 lakh, compared with approximately 50 lakh working employees. This marks a reversal of the earlier situation, when the number of working employees stood at around 55–60 lakh against approximately 50 lakh pensioners.
The Minister said increasing life expectancy and improvements in health conditions meant that many government employees retired at the age of 60 while still possessing considerable professional experience and capabilities.
Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of Viksit Bharat, he said elderly citizens should be enabled to participate actively in nation-building through adequate attention to their comfort, health and financial security. He also called for stronger synergy between younger and older generations, describing both as partners in India’s development.
Singh said the campaign had become a “whole of government” and “whole of society” initiative, with pensioners’ welfare associations and family members playing an important role. He cited instances of grandchildren helping their grandparents generate Digital Life Certificates, saying such interactions were making technology adoption easier and encouraging senior citizens to become familiar with digital services.
Campaign to cover nearly 3,000 locations
Secretary of the Department of Pension and Pensioners’ Welfare, Nivedita Shukla Verma, said the campaign was being implemented with a focus on pensioners’ welfare, ease of living, digital empowerment and dignity, in line with the government’s approach of minimum government and maximum governance.
She said the initiative provides pensioners with a quick and accessible interface, reducing repeated visits and procedural difficulties. Awareness efforts through print and social media, WhatsApp networks, short explanatory videos and pensioners’ associations have helped expand its reach.
The campaign is covering nearly 3,000 locations across the country through dedicated camps, with special attention to pensioners in remote areas. Doorstep services have also been arranged for elderly pensioners who are unable to visit the camps because of mobility constraints or other difficulties.
The Secretary said the initiative involved coordinated efforts by pension-disbursing banks, the Ministries of Railways and Defence, the Department of Telecommunications, the Department of Posts, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, UIDAI, State Governments and pensioners’ associations. She appealed to pensioners to participate in the campaign and encourage others to make use of the facility.
Focus on pension reforms and grievance redressal
The Minister also highlighted reforms undertaken by the Department of Pension and Pensioners’ Welfare to improve pension administration. These include pension adalats for resolving long-pending cases, a dedicated grievance redressal mechanism through the Centralised Pension Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPENGRAMS), and the simplification of obsolete rules and procedures.
He said the government’s approach had focused on removing unnecessary procedural hurdles rather than adding regulations. The government, he added, remained open to suggestions from pensioners and would continue to address bottlenecks and eliminate outdated conditions affecting their welfare.
The programme was attended by senior officials, including Department of Pension and Pensioners’ Welfare Secretary Nivedita Shukla Verma; Chairman and CEO of the Railway Board Satish Kumar; Secretary, Department of Posts, Subrat Das; Controller General of Defence Accounts Alka Nangia Arora; Controller General of Communication Accounts Vandana Gupta; UIDAI CEO Saurabh Vijay; and PIB Additional Director General Nanda Kishore Reddy.
A Compendium Booklet was released during the programme, along with a Coffee Table e-book documenting the Nationwide Digital Life Certificate Campaign 4.0.
(PIB)
