New Delhi, November 6: Nearly 40 lakh Digital Life Certificates (DLCs) were generated in the first five days of the nationwide Digital Life Certificate Campaign 5, Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh said on Friday as he formally launched the drive.
The figure compares with about 25 lakh certificates in the same period last year, a rise of 60 per cent, according to the Minister.
Pensioners are also turning to face authentication in larger numbers. Its share has risen from 61 per cent to nearly 80 per cent over the same five-day period, the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions said.
Face authentication now the preferred route
Speaking at a press conference at the National Media Centre, Dr Jitendra Singh traced how the process has changed. Pensioners first relied on paper life certificates, then on fingerprint-based biometric authentication, before face authentication was introduced to overcome the difficulties some elderly people faced with fingerprints.
Face recognition lets pensioners generate a Digital Life Certificate on a mobile phone without visiting a bank or government office. Of the 1.92 crore DLCs generated last year, about 1.17 crore were made through face authentication, the Minister said.
Pensioners now outnumber serving staff
Dr Jitendra Singh said the number of central government pensioners has reached nearly 70 lakh, against about 50 lakh serving employees. Earlier, there were roughly 55 to 60 lakh employees and around 50 lakh pensioners.
He said longer life expectancy and better health mean many people retire at 60 while still active, and their experience should be drawn on for national development. He called for closer cooperation between younger and older generations.
Camps at 3,000 locations and doorstep help
Secretary, Department of Pension and Pensioners’ Welfare, Nivedita Shukla Verma said camps are being held at nearly 3,000 locations, with special efforts to reach pensioners in remote areas. Doorstep services have been arranged for those who cannot travel to a camp.
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 are taking part. Awareness is being spread through print and social media, WhatsApp groups, short videos and pensioners’ associations.
The Minister noted that family members, including grandchildren helping grandparents, have become an important part of the campaign.
Wider pension reforms
Dr Jitendra Singh also pointed to other measures by the department, including pension adalats to settle long-pending cases, grievance redressal through CPENGRAMS and the simplification of outdated rules. He said the government would keep removing obsolete conditions and remained open to suggestions from pensioners.
A compendium booklet and a coffee-table e-book on the Nationwide DLC Campaign 4.0 were released at the event.
Senior officials present included Railway Board Chairman and CEO Satish Kumar, Secretary, Department of Posts, Subrat Das, Controller General of Defence Accounts Alka Nangia Arora, Controller General of Communication Accounts Vandana Gupta and UIDAI CEO Saurabh Vijay.
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