New Delhi, November 12: More than 20.48 lakh defence pensioners had submitted a digital life certificate (DLC) by 11 November under the nationwide DLC Campaign 5.0, the highest number among all participating departments, the Ministry of Defence said on Thursday.
The month-long campaign runs from 1 to 30 November 2026. It is coordinated by the Department of Pension and Pensioners’ Welfare, while the Controller General of Defence Accounts (CGDA) is running an outreach drive for defence and family pensioners.
Easing the annual process
Pensioners complete an annual identification through the life certificate. The campaign aims to make this simple for defence and family pensioners, particularly elderly, super-senior and differently-abled pensioners.
Face authentication from home
A key focus this year is Aadhaar-based face authentication through the Jeevan Pramaan portal and mobile app. More than 80% of the certificates have been generated using face ID, according to the ministry.
The method needs only a smartphone, with no separate fingerprint device. Pensioners can complete the process from home, avoiding trips to bank branches or defence offices. The ministry said it is particularly useful for very elderly pensioners whose fingerprints have faded with age and for veterans with limited mobility.
Help centres and camps
The Defence Accounts Department has deployed 194 SPARSH Service Centres to help pensioners generate certificates. It has also mobilised 4.63 lakh Common Service Centres, 13 partner banks including India Post Payments Bank, and 29 nodal officers.
About 80 outreach programmes are being held across the country, and a mega Digital Life Certificate camp will be held in Kochi on 23 November, offering on-the-spot help.
Earlier record
During Campaign 4.0 in November 2025, the department generated more than 20.94 lakh certificates. As of October 2026, 35.11 lakh defence pensioners had been brought onto SPARSH, the defence pension system. The department has also held 301 SPARSH outreach programmes and 204 Raksha Pension Samadhan Aayojans, which resolved more than 8,000 grievances on the spot.
Defence pensioners and family pensioners who have not yet submitted their certificate have been asked to visit their nearest SPARSH Service Centre, bank or outreach programme during November.
Related: Digital Life Certificate Campaign 5 records 40 lakh certificates in five days, says Jitendra Singh