DLC Campaign 5.0: Over 20.48 lakh defence pensioners submit digital life certificates
Synopsis
More than 20.48 lakh defence pensioners have already submitted Digital Life Certificates under CGDA's DLC Campaign 5.0 — with over 80 per cent doing so via face authentication on a smartphone. The initiative, running through November 2026, is redefining how India's elderly and differently-abled veterans prove they are alive to keep their pensions flowing.
Key Takeaways
20.48 lakh defence pensioners submitted DLCs under CGDA DLC Campaign 5.0 as of 11 November 2026 .
The campaign runs from 1 to 30 November 2026 , coordinated with the Department of Pension and Pensioners' Welfare .
194 SPARSH Service Centres , 4.63 lakh CSCs , 13 partner banks/IPPB , and 29 nodal officers are supporting the drive.
More than 80 per cent of DLCs are being generated via Aadhaar-based Face Authentication on the Jeevan Pramaan app.
A Mega DLC Camp is scheduled in Kochi on 23 November 2026 for on-the-spot assistance.
More than 20.48 lakh defence pensioners have successfully submitted their Digital Life Certificates (DLCs) under the Controller General of Defence Accounts (CGDA) DLC Campaign 5.0, as of 11 November 2026, according to an official statement. The nationwide outreach initiative, running from 1 to 30 November, is being conducted in coordination with the Department of Pension and Pensioners' Welfare to ensure seamless, technology-driven life certificate submission for defence and family pensioners across India.
Scale of the Campaign
The campaign has mobilised 194 SPARSH Service Centres fully equipped to assist pensioners. Additionally, 4.63 lakh Common Service Centres (CSCs), 13 partner banks including the India Post Payments Bank (IPPB), and 29 nodal officers are facilitating DLC generation across 80 outreach programmes being conducted nationwide. A Mega Digital Life Certificate camp is scheduled in Kochi on 23 November, offering on-the-spot assistance to pensioners.
Technology at the Core
A central feature of Campaign 5.0 is the promotion of Aadhaar-based Face Authentication Technology via the Jeevan Pramaan portal and its mobile application. More than 80 per cent of DLCs are being generated through Face ID, allowing pensioners to authenticate their life certificates using a smartphone — eliminating the need for external biometric hardware entirely. This is a significant upgrade from earlier rounds that relied more heavily on fingerprint-based verification.
Addressing the Most Vulnerable Pensioners
A key priority of the campaign is reaching elderly, super-senior, and differently-abled pensioners who face procedural and physical hardships in annual identification. The face authentication solution specifically addresses the difficulty of faded fingerprints among super-senior veterans. For pensioners with reduced mobility, the facility enables certificate generation from home, cutting down travel time and removing the need for visits to bank branches or defence offices.
What Pensioners Need to Do
The Defence Accounts Department (DAD) has urged all defence and family pensioners to visit their nearest SPARSH Service Centre, partner bank, or any of the 80 outreach programmes before the campaign closes on 30 November 2026. The Kochi Mega Camp on 23 November remains a key opportunity for pensioners in the southern region. With the deadline less than three weeks away, officials are encouraging those yet to submit to act promptly to avoid lapses in pension disbursement.
Point of View
But the more significant shift is structural: over 80 per cent of certificates are now being generated via smartphone face authentication, signalling a durable move away from fingerprint-dependent systems that have long failed elderly veterans. What Campaign 5.0 is quietly solving is the exclusion problem — super-senior pensioners with faded fingerprints and differently-abled veterans have historically been the most likely to miss certification deadlines and face pension interruptions. If the face-ID adoption rate holds, it could become a template for civilian pension schemes grappling with identical last-mile access challenges. The real test will be whether the remaining eligible pensioners — those not yet counted — can be reached before the 30 November cutoff.
NationPress
12 Nov 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CGDA DLC Campaign 5.0?
CGDA DLC Campaign 5.0 is a nationwide initiative by the Controller General of Defence Accounts, running from 1 to 30 November 2026, to help defence and family pensioners submit their annual Digital Life Certificates through technology-enabled, hassle-free channels. It is the fifth edition of this outreach drive and places special emphasis on face authentication via the Jeevan Pramaan portal.
How many defence pensioners have submitted DLCs so far?
As of 11 November 2026, more than 20.48 lakh defence pensioners had successfully submitted their Digital Life Certificates under Campaign 5.0, according to an official statement issued on 12 November.
What is Aadhaar-based Face Authentication and why does it matter?
Aadhaar-based Face Authentication allows pensioners to verify their identity using a smartphone camera through the Jeevan Pramaan app, without needing external biometric hardware. It is particularly important for super-senior pensioners whose fingerprints have faded with age, as it removes a key barrier to completing annual life certification.
Where can defence pensioners go to submit their Digital Life Certificate?
Pensioners can visit any of the 194 SPARSH Service Centres, 4.63 lakh Common Service Centres, or partner banks including India Post Payments Bank. A Mega DLC Camp is also being held in Kochi on 23 November 2026, offering on-the-spot assistance. The deadline for submission is 30 November 2026.
Why is annual Digital Life Certificate submission important for defence pensioners?
The Digital Life Certificate serves as annual proof that a pensioner is alive, which is required for continued pension disbursement. Missing the submission deadline can result in a temporary halt to pension payments, making timely completion critical for defence pensioners and their families.
