Digital Life Certificate Campaign 5.0 has recorded more than 20.48 lakh certifications by defence pensioners as of November 11, 2026, the Ministry of Defence has said. This is the largest contribution from any department participating in the nationwide drive.
Running from November 1 to 30, the campaign is led by the Controller General of Defence Accounts (CGDA) under the Ministry of Defence and coordinated by the Department of Pension & Pensioners’ Welfare (DoP&PW). It is intended to make annual life certification more accessible for retired Armed Forces personnel and family pensioners, reducing the need for travel and physical verification at pension offices.
Support network spans service centres, banks and outreach camps
The Defence Accounts Department (DAD) has mobilised assistance across India through service centres, banking partners and outreach programmes. Its 194 SPARSH Service Centres can help pensioners generate Digital Life Certificates (DLCs) and use other services on the SPARSH platform.
Other support channels include approximately 4.63 lakh Common Service Centres, 13 partner banks, India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) and 29 nodal officers. Around 80 outreach programmes are also being held, with particular assistance for elderly veterans and family pensioners who may find it difficult to use digital services independently.
A Mega Digital Life Certificate Camp is scheduled for November 23, 2026, in Kochi. Defence pensioners attending will be able to get help with completing their annual certification.
Face authentication used for more than 80% of certificates
More than 80% of certificates generated during Campaign 5.0 have used Aadhaar-based Face Authentication Technology, according to the Defence Accounts Department. The facility is available through the Jeevan Pramaan system and its mobile application, allowing identity verification with a smartphone without an external biometric device.
Face authentication may assist elderly and super-senior pensioners who experience difficulty with fingerprint checks because of age-related biometric changes. It also allows differently-abled veterans and pensioners with limited mobility to complete verification from home rather than travel to a bank or pension office.
The campaign’s use of smartphone-based certification is also intended to encourage digital independence among veterans and their families.
Earlier campaign and SPARSH figures
In November 2025, the Defence Accounts Department generated more than 20.94 lakh Digital Life Certificates during Campaign 4.0, using its network of SPARSH Service Centres, Common Service Centres and banking partners.
As of October 2026, approximately 35.11 lakh defence pensioners had been onboarded onto the SPARSH pension administration system. The department has also held 301 SPARSH Outreach Programmes and 204 Raksha Pension Samadhan Aayojans across the country. These efforts have helped resolve more than 8,000 grievances on the spot.
Certification deadline is November 30
The Defence Accounts Department has asked defence pensioners and family pensioners who have yet to submit their annual Digital Life Certificates to complete the process during the campaign. They can seek assistance from a SPARSH Service Centre, participating bank, Common Service Centre or designated outreach programme. Those with compatible smartphones can use Aadhaar-based face authentication to submit a certificate remotely.
The department says the initiative is part of its work to improve pension delivery, widen digital access and reduce administrative difficulties for retired Armed Forces personnel. Its guiding principle is “Right Pension to the Right Pensioner at the Right Time,” with the aim of making verification more convenient, transparent and accessible for veterans and their families across India.
