New Delhi, Nov 5 : More than 52 lakh digital life certificates have been generated since the beginning of the nationwide Digital Life Certificate (DLC) Campaign 4.0. on November 1, said Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Public Grievances Dr. Jitendra Singh on Wednesday.

Speaking at its formal launch in the national campaign, Singh said that the campaign marks a significant step in the government's drive to simplify life certification for pensioners, especially the super seniors.

'The month-long DLC campaign 4.0, which began on November 1 and will continue till November 30, has already seen over 55 lakh Digital Life Certificates generated within the first four days, against the month-long target of two crore,' Singh said.

Campaign 4.0 aims to cover nearly 2,000 districts, cities, and towns across the country through 2,500 camps and coordinated by 1,250 nodal officers.

The initiative adopts a saturation approach to ensure that every pensioner -- irrespective of location or mobility constraints-- can submit their life certificate seamlessly, said the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions.

The DLC Campaign 4.0 is being conducted in collaboration with 19 Pension Disbursing Banks, India Post Payments Bank (IPPB), Pensioners' Welfare Associations, UIDAI, MeitY, EPFO, Railways, CGDA, and the Department of Telecommunications, to reach every pensioner across the country, including those in remote and rural areas, the Ministry said.

'This year, special emphasis is being laid on promoting Face Authentication Technology, developed with full technical support from MeitY and UIDAI, to make the process more seamless and convenient for the elderly,' the Ministry added.

Meanwhile, Singh stated that during the DLC Campaign 3.0 last year, 52.73 lakh DLCs were submitted using face authentication, while 72.64 lakh were from EPFO pensioners.

'Campaign 3.0 of last year was conducted in 1,984 locations across 845 districts and cities in November 2024, during which 1.62 crore DLCs were generated, including 49.78 lakh from Central Government pensioners. Of these, over 85,200 were from pensioners above 90 years, and more than 2,200 were from pensioners aged above 100 years,' Singh said.

He noted that the idea behind introducing a Digital Life Certificate was born out of empathy for the elderly.

'It appeared inhuman to ask senior citizens to physically prove that they are alive to receive their pension,' he said, adding that the government turned this challenge into an opportunity to introduce biometric and face authentication technologies for a noble cause.

The Minister highlighted that the initiative has evolved into a global success story, with the 'unique experiment in governance now being studied internationally'.

/IANS