Life certificate 2026: Digital Life Certificate Campaign 5.0 targets 2.30 crore
By Meera IyerGovernance & Policy Editor, Peepals Bharat
Representative image: StockSnap / Pixabay
The Centre's fifth Digital Life Certificate campaign runs from 1 to 30 November 2026 in 2,000 cities and districts, targeting 2.30 crore certificates from pensioners.
What Happened
The Department of Pension and Pensioners' Welfare (DoPPW) is running its fifth nationwide Digital Life Certificate (DLC) campaign from 1 to 30 November 2026, across about 2,000 cities and districts, with a target of 2.30 crore digital life certificates, including 1.50 crore made through face authentication on smartphones. At a mega camp organised with Punjab National Bank in Delhi on Tuesday, 3 November 2026, DoPPW Secretary Nivedita Shukla Verma said the campaign must reach every pensioner, including those in remote areas. A life certificate is the annual proof that a pensioner is alive, which central government pensioners must submit, usually in November, to keep their pension flowing.
Key Facts
- Campaign: Nationwide Digital Life Certificate Campaign 5.0, run by DoPPW.
- Dates: 1 to 30 November 2026.
- Reach: about 2,000 cities and districts.
- Target: 2.30 crore DLCs, of which 1.50 crore through face authentication.
- Method: pensioners can generate a DLC with the Jeevan Pramaan face-authentication app on Android and iOS smartphones, or at bank branches and camps.
- Previous campaign (4.0, November 2025): 1.54 crore DLCs in total, with over 91 lakh through face authentication, according to the official release.
- Over 14 lakh pensioners aged 80 and above submitted DLCs in the previous campaign, the Secretary said.
Why It Matters
For decades, pensioners had to go in person to a bank or treasury every year to prove they were alive, often standing in queues, a real hardship for the very old, the sick and those far from a branch. Jeevan Pramaan, the digital life certificate, was introduced to end that. Face authentication goes further: a pensioner, or a family member helping them, can use a smartphone camera to verify identity through Aadhaar, without a fingerprint device or a visit.
The November campaign matters because November is when most central government pensioners must submit their life certificate. If it is not submitted, pension payments can be held up. That is why the department, banks, the postal network and pensioners' associations hold camps across the country during the month, with special attention to the very old and to people in remote areas.
The government's push is also about scale. With the target set at 2.30 crore certificates, this is the largest campaign the department has run, and its emphasis on face authentication reflects how widely smartphones are now used even among older people, often with help from children or grandchildren.
For pensioners, the practical message is simple: the certificate can be done from home with a phone, at a bank branch, or at one of the camps held through November.
Peepals calculation: the target of 2.30 crore DLCs is about 49% more than the 1.54 crore generated in the previous campaign (2.30 divided by 1.54 is about 1.49). The face-authentication target of 1.50 crore is about 65% of the overall target (1.50 divided by 2.30). Our calculation from the reported figures.
| Campaign | Total DLCs | Face-authenticated DLCs |
|---|---|---|
| 4.0 (November 2025) | 1.54 crore (achieved) | over 91 lakh |
| 5.0 (November 2026) | 2.30 crore (target) | 1.50 crore (target) |
Impact
Short-term: Pensioners can submit their life certificates from home or at camps during November 2026, avoiding long queues.
Long-term: Wider use of face authentication could make the yearly life-certificate requirement nearly paperless and reduce delays in pension payments.
Who is affected: Central government pensioners and family pensioners, banks and post offices that disburse pensions, and families who help older relatives.
What to watch next: The department's figures at the end of the campaign on 30 November 2026.
Key Takeaway
The fifth Digital Life Certificate campaign, running from 1 to 30 November 2026, lets pensioners prove they are alive by smartphone face scan, with a target of 2.30 crore certificates.
Questions and Answers
When is the life certificate campaign in 2026?
The Digital Life Certificate Campaign 5.0 runs from 1 to 30 November 2026 in about 2,000 cities and districts.
How can pensioners submit a digital life certificate from home?
They can use the Jeevan Pramaan face-authentication app on an Android or iOS smartphone to verify identity through Aadhaar and generate a digital life certificate.
What is the target of DLC Campaign 5.0?
The target is 2.30 crore digital life certificates, including 1.50 crore through face authentication.
Why must pensioners submit a life certificate?
It is the yearly proof that a pensioner is alive. If it is not submitted, pension payments can be held up.
Disclaimer: Prepared by the Peepals newsroom from publicly available sources with AI assistance. Information is accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication and may change. Images may be representative. Not professional advice. Report an error via our contact page.
By Meera Iyer, Governance & Policy EditorCovers Governance & Policy and more for Peepals Bharat. All stories by Meera Iyer
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Meera Iyer is a pen name of the Peepals Global Editorial Team, which researches, fact-checks and publishes every story. The portrait is an illustration.
