Systematic Transition from Periodic Existence Verification to Automated Aadhaar-Linked Death Registration for Social Security Administration in India: A Comprehensive Socio-Legal and Technical Evaluation

This socio-legal and technical evaluation examines the proposed transition of India's social security administration from its current system of periodic existence verification to an automated, Aadhaar-linked death registration framework. Traditionally, pensioners and annuity recipients have been required to submit an annual "Life Certificate" (Jeevan Pramaan), a reactive model that imposes a significant logistical and psychological burden on the elderly. The analysis explores a transformative shift toward a proactive, "once-only" system enabled by the Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Act, 2023. This legislation establishes a centralised national database in which the registration of a death can automatically trigger updates across financial and government records. The study highlights substantial benefits, including the elimination of the "compliance tax" on senior citizens, a significant reduction in fraudulent claims and financial leakage, and the streamlining of post-death legal processes. However, it also identifies critical risks, primarily the phenomenon of "civil death," where living individuals are erroneously marked as deceased, leading to the catastrophic loss of services. Other significant challenges include the digital exclusion of the elderly, biometric authentication failures, and data privacy concerns under the DPDP Act. By comparing the proposed framework with international models from the US, UK, and Singapore, the report concludes that while the transition is technically feasible and legally supported, its successful implementation hinges on a phased approach that prioritises robust safeguards, human-centric error correction mechanisms, federal-state data synchronisation, and strict adherence to privacy principles to create an efficient and compassionate social security infrastructure.