Streamlining Pension Verification: A Step-by-Step Guide to Digital Life Certificates

Identity theft among pensioners is a rising pandemic that needs to be eradicated. Impersonating senior citizens by stealing or faking their life certificates with a motive to swindle their income is nefarious. The crime not only pushes pensioners into poverty but also piles lawsuits and losses onto pension disbursing authorities. 

Pensioner Plight 

In India, there are over one crore pensioners, including those from the central government and defense forces. To receive pension, a retiree must submit their life certificates annually to the Pension Disbursing Authority (PDA). Banks, post offices, and other financial institutions serve as PDAs, that disburse pensions after authenticating the life certificates of pensioners. 

The mere process of physically receiving a life certificate and delivering it to the PDA is a significant effort for elderly pensioners, as the process is slow and tedious. You can only imagine the plight of pensioners who are sick, bedridden, or even living abroad. Accessing and moving the physical life certificate for pensioner verification is a grueling task for seniors. 

Launch of Jeevan Pramaan 

To make life certificate issuance convenient, the Indian government launched a digital service called Jeevan Pramaan in 2014. However, the service mandates senior citizens to have digital literacy. They also had to follow rigid steps and download multiple software. Seniors who are not tech-savvy face significant pressure in the process. 

This got us thinking about how we can help. We wanted to address the issues associated with the verification and distribution of digital life certificates. 

Our Solution: Digital Life Certificates 

We introduced the Digital Life Certificate (DLC) solution to streamline pensioner verification by making the process, quick, convenient, and seamless. Our DLC platform provides a flexible and convenient solution that can be accessed from the comfort of the pensioner's own home. 

And the best thing was our process saved significant time and effort for both the pensioner and the disbursing organization. We also customize the solution to suit specific requirements. 

Key Highlights of the DLC Solution 

1. Multi-browser compatible web platform for generating DLC 

2. Custom rule-based business engine 

3. Active/Passive liveness detection 

4. AI/ML-based Optical Character Recognition (OCR) techniques 

5. Aadhaar OTP-based e-KYC or Digilocker 

6. Integration with SMS gateway and email to push notifications to pensioners 

Pensioner Identity Verification Process Flow 

The pensioner’s identity verification process can take place in three ways 

A. Agent-assisted – The pensioner gets on a call with an agent to get the Digital Life Certificate. Both the call recording and the live picture will be saved. 

B. Self-assisted – The pensioner records himself during the process. He/she will answer the questions displayed on the screen and captures a live photo.  

C. Selfie-based – The selfie-based flow is customizable, where the customer can record himself by capturing an Officially Valid Document (OVD) or answering security questions displayed on the screen, and the selfie is captured.  

Irrespective of the process flows, the recordings will be sent to the auditor for review to verify the pensioner. 

Among these, the self-assisted process flow is more commonly used. 

How can Pensioners Secure Digital Life Certificates in a Self-assisted Process Flow? 

Our web-based DLC solution provides a hassle-free and convenient way for pensioners to obtain their digital life certificates in three simple steps. 

Step 1: The pensioner accesses the DLC platform via the link provided, input their data, and completes OTP-based mobile verification. 

Step 2: The pensioner then proceeds to complete Digi Locker-based Aadhaar verification using their Aadhaar number. 

Step 3: Liveness check is done using Active Liveness Detection, which involves performing gestures or reading out an OTP/statement suggested by the application. 

Step 4: The pensioner is directed to the DLC process summary. The DLC will be available in a pdf form, and upon receiving the DLC, a confirmatory message is sent to the pensioner’s mobile/email. 

Live Use Cases - Digital Life Certificates 

Odisha is the first state in India to provide a Digital Life Certificate (DLC) facility through Video KYC. We collaborated with the Odisha government and National Insurance Company Limited (NIC) in West Bengal to deliver digital life certificates to their beneficiaries/pensioners.  

Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh are a few other states in India that have implemented our OTP-based digital-KYC solutions.  

So far, we have issued digital life certificates to over 5 lakh pensioners across the country through our web-based platform.  

Thanks to the in-hand availability of cutting-edge technologies and the three well-organized robust process flows, our platform is readily accessible to pensioners. 

Do you want to streamline pension verification? 

Write to us at business@m2pfintech.com. 

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