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 today launched the Nationwide Digital Life Certificate (DLC) Campaign 5, with nearly 40 lakh Digital Life Certificates generated in its first five days against approximately 25 lakh during the corresponding period last year, registering a 60 per cent increase.
Face authentication adoption has surged from 61 per cent to nearly 80 per cent during the same period, reflecting growing confidence among pensioners in technology-enabled pension services. Dr. Jitendra Singh said the overwhelming response demonstrates how digital innovation is transforming pensioners' ease of living while making governance more accessible, convenient and dignified for elderly citizens.
Addressing a press conference at the National Media Centre, New Delhi, Dr Jitendra Singh said the campaign has progressively evolved into a nationwide movement, bringing together government departments, pension disbursing banks, pensioners' associations and families to facilitate seamless pension-related services.
The event was attended by Secretary, Department of Pension & Pensioners’ Welfare, Ms. Nivedita Shukla Verma; Chairman and CEO, Railway Board, Shri Satish Kumar; Secretary, Department of Posts, Shri Subrat Das; Controller General of Defence Accounts, Ms. Alka Nangia Arora; Controller General of Communication Accounts, Ms. Vandana Gupta; CEO, UIDAI, Shri Saurabh Vijay; and Additional Director General, PIB, Shri Nanda Kishore Reddy, among other senior officials.
Dr. Jitendra Singh said that the fundamental objective of the campaign is to ensure ease of living for elderly citizens, adding that India's changing demographic and socio-economic landscape makes pensioners an increasingly important segment of society. The number of central government pensioners has now reached nearly 70 lakh against approximately 50 lakh working employees, reversing the earlier situation when the number of working employees was around 55–60 lakh and pensioners approximately 50 lakh.
The Minister said increasing life expectancy and improved health conditions have created a new opportunity to harness the experience, expertise and potential of senior citizens for nation-building. Many employees retire at the age of 60 when they are still at the prime of their health, experience and professional capabilities.
In the context of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of Viksit Bharat, Dr. Jitendra Singh said elderly citizens must be actively engaged in nation-building by ensuring their comfort, health and financial security, enabling them to contribute their potential to constructive national endeavours. He emphasised the need to build a healthy synergy between the younger and older generations as partners in India's development journey.
Tracing the evolution of Digital Life Certificates, Dr. Jitendra Singh said the government initially relied on conventional life certificates, followed by biometric authentication through fingerprints, before introducing face authentication technology to address limitations faced by elderly pensioners. He said face recognition technology has emerged as a convenient and accessible solution, enabling pensioners to generate Digital Life Certificates through a mobile phone without the need to visit banks or offices. The Minister said that out of 1.92 crore Digital Life Certificates generated last year, approximately 1.17 crore were through face authentication, demonstrating the growing preference for this technology among pensioners.
Dr. Jitendra Singh said the campaign has increasingly become a “whole of government” and “whole of society” movement, with pensioners' welfare associations and family members playing an active role in facilitating Digital Life Certificates. Grandchildren assisting grandparents in generating DLCs, he said, have made technology adoption an engaging family experience, while familiarising senior citizens with digital tools and services. He said the campaign's growing acceptance reflects the collective participation of government institutions, pensioners and society in advancing citizen-centric governance.
The Minister also referred to several pension-related reforms undertaken by the Department of Pension & Pensioners’ Welfare, including pension adalats for resolution of long-pending cases, a dedicated grievance redressal mechanism through CPENGRAMS, and simplification of obsolete rules and procedures.
He said reforms have focused on removing unnecessary procedural hurdles rather than introducing additional regulations, making pension administration more responsive to citizens' needs. Dr. Jitendra Singh reiterated that the government remains open to suggestions from pensioners wherever they face difficulties, bottlenecks or procedural challenges, and would continue eliminating obsolete rules and conditions to improve their welfare.
Secretary, Department of Pension & Pensioners’ Welfare, Ms. Nivedita Shukla Verma, said the Digital Life Certificate Campaign is being pursued with the objectives of pensioners' welfare, ease of living, digital empowerment and dignity of pensioners, while advancing the government's vision of minimum government and maximum governance.
She said the campaign provides pensioners with a quick, convenient and accessible interface, reducing the need for repeated visits and procedural difficulties. She added that extensive outreach through print and social media, WhatsApp networks, short explanatory videos and pensioners' associations has helped spread awareness and encourage participation.
Ms. Nivedita Shukla Verma said the campaign represents a comprehensive whole-of-government approach, with pension disbursing banks, Ministries of Railways and Defence, Department of Telecommunications, Department of Posts, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, UIDAI, State Governments and pensioners' associations working together. Nearly 3,000 locations are being covered through camps, with special efforts to reach pensioners in remote areas.
Doorstep services have also been arranged for pensioners unable to visit camps, ensuring that the campaign reaches elderly citizens irrespective of mobility or geographical constraints. The Secretary appealed to pensioners to take full advantage of the campaign and encourage fellow pensioners to participate, saying that positive experiences and word-of-mouth communication would further strengthen its reach and impact.
During the programme, a Compendium Booklet was released, along with a Coffee Table e-book documenting Nationwide DLC Campaign 4.0.