New Delhi, Nov 3 The secretary of the Department of Pension and Pensioners’ Welfare (DoPPW) on Tuesday encouraged pensioners to become ambassadors of digital empowerment by opting for a digital life certificate (DLC).
Pensioners are required to submit a life certificate annually for continuation of pension. With DLC, this process can be done digitally through “Jeevan Pramaan”, a biometric-enabled digital service.
Addressing an event here, Nivedita Shukla Verma, Secretary of DoPPW, emphasised that pensioners remain at the centre of the department’s initiatives and the success of the DLC campaign depends on reaching every pensioner, including those residing in remote areas.
The secretary encouraged pensioners to become ambassadors of digital empowerment by sharing their experiences and motivating fellow pensioners to adopt face authentication technology, a statement issued by the Personnel Ministry said.
Highlighting the convenience of the initiative, she observed that pensioners can generate their DLCs from home using smartphones, without depending on others or visiting bank branches.
Verma was speaking during a mega camp organised by the DoPPW, in collaboration with Punjab National Bank (PNB) at its Parliament Street Branch here, under the nationwide DLC campaign 5.
The campaign is being conducted in 2,000 cities and districts across India from November 1 to 30.
The campaign aimed at facilitating pensioners and family pensioners to submit their digital life certificates through face authentication technology and create awareness about the convenience of digital services.
Addressing the gathering, she appreciated the participation and contribution of senior pensioners and highlighted that more than 14 lakh pensioners aged 80 years and above had submitted their DLCs during the previous campaign, describing it as a significant achievement.
Dhrubajyoti Sengupta, Joint Secretary, DoPPW, highlighted that DLC 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. He 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 statement said.
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, it added.
(PTI News)
