The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has joined hands with state-run The India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) to provide long-awaited relief to pensioners.
According to the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the two organisations, pensioners can submit their Digital Life Certificates (DLCs) from their own home without visiting a bank or EPFO office. IPPB will deliver the Digital Life Certificate service to pensioners’ doorsteps free of cost, with EPFO bearing the financial burden of issuing the certificates.
“India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) to provide doorstep Digital Life Certificate (DLC) services to its pensioners under the Employees’ Pension Scheme, 1995,” the statement said, adding, “EPFO will bear the cost of issuing Digital Life Certificate entirely, making the service free for their pensioners.”
Utilising its extensive network of over 1.65 lakh post offices and 3 lakh postal service providers (Postmen and Gramin Dak Sevaks), IPPB will employ doorstep banking devices for the digital process of face authentication technology and fingerprint biometric authentication to assist EPFO pensioners in submitting their DLCs.
Pensioners use the DLCs to verify themselves online for the yearly verification process, eliminating the need to visit a bank or EPFO office.
IPPB first started the Doorstep Service of Digital Life Certificate in 2020 for generating DLCs. This was done using Aadhaar-enabled biometric authentication to reduce the turnaround time for issuance of the certificate. EPFO will be utilising the same network going forward.
“This partnership with EPFO reinforces IPPB’s mission to bring essential financial and citizen services to every doorstep in India. With our technology-enabled postal network and trusted last-mile reach, EPFO pensioners-especially in rural and semi-urban areas-will now be able to complete their life certificate submission seamlessly, with dignity and convenience,” said IPPB, MD and CEO, R Viswesvaran.
Those interested in availing of the services provided by EPFO and IPPB regarding DLCs must contact their postman or Gramin Dak Sevaks. They can also visit their nearest post office, provide their Aadhaar number and pension details for Aadhaar-linked face authentication or fingerprint biometric authentication.
