The Digital Life Certificate campaign is an example of how Digital Public Infrastructure can deliver ease of living to the elderly. Critically examine.

Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) means shared digital systems, such as Aadhaar, that many services can build on. In 2014, Jeevan Pramaan used Aadhaar to replace the yearly bank-queue proof of life with a digital certificate [8]. DLC Campaign 5.0 (November 2026) takes Face Authentication to 2000 cities and districts [1]. The campaign shows what DPI can do for older people, but the gaps in inclusion still need fixing.

How DPI eases life for pensioners

• No device needed: Aadhaar face-matching works on any Android or iOS phone. It also helps pensioners whose fingerprints have worn away [1]. Face-authenticated DLCs rose about threefold, from over 39 lakh in DLC 3.0 [3] to over 1.16 crore (about 60% of about 1.91 crore DLCs) in DLC 4.0 [2].
• Reaching the last mile: IPPB postmen generate DLCs at home for a small ₹70 fee [4]. 'Utsav'-mode camps add health check-ups and Aadhaar updation [1].
• Whole of Government: DoPPW works with UIDAI, MeitY, banks, EPFO, Railways and CGDA, and grievance officers solve problems on the spot [1]. This is citizen-centric administration in practice.

Limitations

• Exclusion is not measured: releases count DLCs generated, not failed scans or pensions stopped [2]. The model also assumes a smartphone and digital skills.
• Built for formal-sector pensioners: under NSAP social pensions, CAG found Aadhaar seeding missing in many records and Aadhaar used without consent in several States/UTs [6]. This goes against the consent limits set in Puttaswamy (2018).
• Leakage continues: a once-a-year certificate cannot catch a death in between. CAG found pensions paid after death under NSAP [6].
• Assisted channels can be misused: in Telangana's Aasara scheme, money was withdrawn after beneficiaries died, using a postmaster's biometric [7].
• Pressure to go digital: Face Authentication is not mandatory [5], so the offline route must stay genuinely open.

The DLC campaign shows that DPI can turn a yearly ordeal into a doorstep or phone-based service. That ease of living is complete only if inclusion is measured too. The way forward is to publish failure data and link pension databases to death records under the Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Act, 2023. Doorstep authentications by staff should be logged and audited, and the offline option protected. Together, these steps would meet the promise of public assistance in old age under Article 41 and SDG 10 (reduced inequalities).