Jeevan Pramaan

The “Jeevan Pramaan” is a digital life-certificate scheme introduced by the Government of India to facilitate pensioners in certifying their existence without the need to physically visit pension-disbursing agencies. It streamlines the annual requirement of submitting a life certificate for ongoing pension payments by enabling Aadhaar-based biometric authentication.

Background

Traditionally, pensioners of central or state governments (or other government organisations) were required to visit their pension-disbursing bank, post-office or agency each year to furnish a physical life certificate. This posed considerable difficulty, especially for elderly or infirm pensioners and those who had relocated. The Jeevan Pramaan scheme was launched to digitise and simplify this process.

How the Service Works

• The pensioner uses the Jeevan Pramaan mobile or PC application (or visits a designated centre) and submits details such as Aadhaar number, bank account, Pension Payment Order (PPO) details and mobile number.
• Biometric authentication is performed using fingerprint or iris scan (or face authentication, in newer versions) through the Aadhaar platform.
• Upon successful authentication, a “Digital Life Certificate (DLC)” is generated and stored in the Life Certificate Repository. A unique certificate-ID (Pramaan-ID) is sent to the pensioner via SMS.
• The pension-disbursing agency can access this certificate online; the pensioner need not physically submit a paper certificate.
• Pension disbursement continues uninterrupted, provided the certificate is generated during the required period each year.

Eligibility & Pre-requisites

• You must be a pensioner drawing pension from a government (central or state) authority or other government organisation.
• You must possess a valid Aadhaar number and a mobile number registered in your name.
• Your Aadhaar must be linked to your pension account/agency, and the pension-disbursing agency must support the digital life certificate system.
• You need access to a compatible biometric device (or use the mobile face-authentication option) or you may visit a Jeevan Pramaan registration centre such as a CSC, bank branch or post office.

Time-frame & Usage

• The scheme allows pensioners to submit their life certificate within the stipulated annual period. For example, super-senior citizens (age 80 and above) may have an earlier window to generate the certificate.
• Once generated, the digital certificate remains valid for the pension year and need not be physically printed or submitted.
• The pensioner can download the certificate PDF using the Pramaan-ID and keep it for records.

Importance & Benefits

• Convenience: Eliminates the need for annual physical submission at bank or post office, which is particularly helpful for elderly or immobile pensioners.
• Efficiency: Facilitates timely pension credits, minimises disruptions caused by delays in physical certificate submission.
• Transparency: The automatic storage of certificate data and unique Pramaan-ID provide an auditable trail.
• Accessibility: Pensioners in remote locations or who have shifted residence can still generate the certificate via mobile or nearby centre.

Limitations & Considerations

• Although the service provides an alternative to physical submission, the traditional life certificate process remains available for pensioners who prefer it or whose disbursing agency is not yet onboarded.
• The scheme depends on Aadhaar linking, biometric or face-authentication capability and internet connectivity — any of these missing may complicate usage.
• Pensioners need to ensure that their pension-disbursing agency is live for the digital certificate process and that all account linkages (Aadhaar, bank account, PPO) are correctly in place.