In a move set to significantly ease the lives of pensioners, the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has partnered with India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) to provide doorstep Digital Life Certificate (DLC) services. This collaboration allows pensioners enrolled in the Employees' Pension Scheme, 1995 (EPS'95) to submit their life certificates from the comfort of their homes. The service is free, with EPFO covering the costs.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) formalizing this partnership was exchanged between IPPB MD and CEO, R. Viswesvaran, and EPFO Central Provident Fund Commissioner, Ramesh Krishnamurthi, during the 73rd Foundation Day of EPFO.
This initiative leverages IPPB's extensive network, comprising over 1.65 lakh post offices and more than 3 lakh postal service providers, including postmen and Gramin Dak Sevaks. These postal staff are equipped with doorstep banking devices that support both face authentication and fingerprint biometric verification. Pensioners can avail of the service by contacting their postman or visiting their nearest post office. They will need to provide their Aadhaar number and pension details for authentication. Upon successful verification, the pensioner will receive a confirmation SMS, and the certificate will be available online at jeevanpramaan.gov.in the following day.
The Digital Life Certificate, also known as Jeevan Pramaan, is a biometric-enabled digital service for pensioners. It allows pensioners to complete their annual verification online, eliminating the need to physically visit bank branches or EPFO offices. IPPB first introduced the Doorstep Service of Digital Life Certificates in 2020, utilizing Aadhaar-enabled biometric authentication to generate Jeevan Pramaan certificates and reduce the turnaround time for issuance.
This doorstep service is expected to be particularly beneficial for senior citizens, especially those residing in rural and semi-urban areas where access to banking facilities and EPFO offices may be limited. It removes the need for them to travel long distances and stand in queues to submit their life certificates.
R. Viswesvaran, MD and CEO of IPPB, emphasized that this collaboration strengthens the bank's commitment to delivering accessible financial and citizen services to every doorstep. He also noted that the partnership with EPFO supports the government's vision of 'Digital India' and 'Ease of Living' by making pension and financial services easily accessible to all citizens through IPPB's trusted postal network.
