The Department of Pension and Pensioners’ Welfare (DoPPW) organised a Mega Camp in collaboration with Punjab National Bank (PNB) at its Parliament Street Branch, New Delhi, today under the nationwide Digital Life Certificate (DLC) Campaign 5. The camp aimed to facilitate pensioners and family pensioners in submitting their Digital Life Certificates through face authentication technology and create awareness about the convenience of digital services.
Addressing the gathering, the Ms Nivedita Shukla Verma Secretary, DoPPW, emphasised that pensioners remain at the centre of the Department's initiatives and that the success of the Digital Life Certificate campaign depends on reaching every pensioner, including those residing in remote areas. Appreciating the participation and contribution of senior pensioners, the Secretary highlighted that more than 14 lakh pensioners aged 80 years and above had submitted their Digital Life Certificates during the previous campaign, describing it as a significant achievement.
The secretary encouraged pensioners to become ambassadors of digital empowerment by sharing their experiences and motivating fellow pensioners to adopt face authentication technology. Highlighting the convenience of the initiative, the Secretary observed that pensioners can generate their Digital Life Certificates from home using smartphones, without depending on others or visiting bank branches.
The Shri Dhrubajyoti Sengupta Joint Secretary, DoPPW, highlighted that Digital Life Certificate services have evolved significantly since their introduction in 2014, with face authentication technology introduced in 2021 making the process more accessible and convenient. The Joint Secretary informed that certificates generated through face authentication increased from approximately 50 lakh to around 1.25 crore during the previous campaign. The Joint Secretary also highlighted the availability of doorstep services through banks and post offices for pensioners who are unable to visit camps or independently complete the process.
The PNB Mega Camp also facilitated interaction with senior pensioners and provided access to a medical camp alongside the DLC services. The initiative reaffirmed DoPPW's commitment to promoting accessible, secure and pensioner-centric digital services.