Pension Department Expands Digital Life Certificate Drive to Reach Pensioners Across 2,000 Districts
SDG 1: No Poverty | SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
Institutions: Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions
The Department of Pension & Pensioners’ Welfare (DoPPW) has launched the 4th nationwide Digital Life Certificate (DLC) Campaign, from 1 to 30 November 2025, targeting coverage across 2,000 districts and sub-divisions. The campaign ensures that every pensioner, urban or rural can digitally verify their life status without visiting a bank or office.
The drive is being run in partnership with 19 pension-disbursing banks, India Post Payments Bank (IPPB), UIDAI, MeitY, and other ministries. IPPB’s network of 1.8 lakh postmen and Gramin Dak Sewaks (GDS) will conduct doorstep DLC camps, using facial and fingerprint authentication to reach pensioners of all banks—including those in remotest districts.
In 2024’s campaign, over 1.62 crore DLCs were generated through 1,900 camps in 800+ districts, including 50 lakh via face-recognition tech. This year’s goal is 2 crore certificates, supported by extensive awareness drives through SMS, social media, and print outreach.
The initiative advances India’s vision of digital governance with inclusion—modernising pension services, reducing bureaucratic burdens, and ensuring no pensioner is left out due to mobility or location constraints. It also demonstrates effective use of public digital infrastructure for citizen service delivery at scale.
What is the Digital Life Certificate (DLC)? → A Digital Life Certificate is an online biometric verification that allows pensioners to prove they are alive without physical attendance at banks or offices. Introduced under the Jeevan Pramaan initiative, it uses fingerprint or facial recognition to authenticate identity and automatically update pension records, ensuring continuous disbursal with minimal effort for the elderly.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders: How can India further automate life-certification and ensure data security while preserving ease of access for elderly citizens in remote regions?
Follow the full news here: https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2178565