Lok Sabha Question No. 1153 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-08
Subject: Pensioners' Welfare and Digital Life Certificate
Ministry: LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
Asked by: Shri Konda Vishweshwar Reddy, Shri Kali Charan Singh, Shri Rajkumar Chahar, Shri Shankar Lalwani, Shri Alok Sharma, Shri Tejasvi Surya, Shri Anil Firojiya

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1153 TO BE ANSWERED ON 08.12.2025

## PENSIONERS' WELFARE AND DIGITAL LIFE CERTIFICATE

1153. SHRI TEJASVI SURYA:

SHRI KONDA VISHWESHWAR REDDY:

SHRI ALOK SHARMA:

SHRI ANIL FIROJIYA:

SHRI KALI CHARAN SINGH:

SHRI SHANKAR LALWANI:

SHRI RAJKUMAR CHAHAR:

Will the Minister of LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT be pleased to state:

- (a)the  details  of  the  final  status  of  the  proposal  to  increase  the minimum  Employee  Pension  Scheme-95  (EPS-95)  pension  to  Rs. 7,500 per month;
- (b)the details of the Nationwide  Digital Life Certificate  (DLC) Campaign 4.0 and its usefulness in promoting Aadhaar-based Face Authentication;
- (c)whether the Government has simplified the process for updating
- pensioner records, such as Aadhaar, on the portal; and
- (d)the  details  of  the  new  rules  introduced  in  2025  regarding  early Employees'
- pension commencement  from  age  50  years for Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) members?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT (SUSHRI SHOBHA KARANDLAJE)

- (a): Employees' Pension Scheme, 1995 is a 'Defined ContributionDefined Benefit' Social Security Scheme. The corpus of the Employees'  Pension  Fund  is  made  up  of  (i)  contribution  by  the employer @ 8.33 per cent of wages; and (ii) 1.16% contribution from Central  Government  on  wages  upto  Rs.15,000/-  per  month.  All benefits under the scheme are paid out of such accumulations. The fund is valued annually as mandated under paragraph 32 of EPS, 1995 and as  per  the valuation of the fund as  on 31.03.2019,  there  is  an

actuarial deficit. The Government is providing a minimum pension of Rs.1000  per  month  to  the  pensioners  under  the  EPS,  1995  by providing budgetary support, which is in addition to the budgetary support of 1.16 per cent of wages provided annually towards EPS to Employees' Provident Fund Organization (EPFO). The Government of India is committed to provide robust social security coverage through EPF Scheme, 1952, EPS-95 and EDLI Schemes being run by EPFO, to the  members  of  these  schemes,  taking  into  consideration  the sustainability of the respective funds as well as the future liabilities thereon.

- (b): Nationwide DLC Campaign 4.0 was conducted by Department of Pension & Pensioners' Welfare (DPPW). EPFO also participated in this campaign. During the campaign period, Aadhaar-based Face Authentication was promoted through camps and social media. As a result,  around  46%  DLCs  were  generated  through Aadhaar-based Face authentication during the month of November, 2025.

(c): Pensioner's Aadhaar, where not already available, gets seeded in  the  EPFO  database,  as  soon  as  a  Digital  Life  Certificate  is successfully updated.

(d): No such rule has been introduced in 2025.

However, it is informed that as per para 12(7) of the Employees Pension  Scheme 1995, a member upon exit from employment and having rendered eligible service for pension, if he so desires, may be allowed to draw an early pension from a date earlier than 58 years of age but not earlier than 50 years of age. In such cases, the amount of pension is reduced at the rate of four per cent, for every year the age falls short of 58 years.

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