Govt. plans to upgrade PAN card to PAN 2.0

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, On November 25, 2024, announced its approval for the PAN 2.0 Project of the Income Tax Department with a financial implication of Rs.1435 Crore.

PAN 2.0 Project is an e-Governance project for re-engineering the business processes of taxpayer registration services through technology-driven transformation of PAN/TAN services for the enhanced digital experience of the taxpayers. This will be an upgrade of the current PAN/TAN 1.0 eco-system consolidating the core and non-core PAN/TAN activities as well as PAN validation service.

“The PAN 2.0 Project resonates with the vision of the Government enshrined in Digital India by enabling the use of PAN as a Common Identifier for all digital systems of specified government agencies,” said a Ministry of Finance press release.

According to the PIB press release, the PAN 2.0 Project visualizes a technology-driven transformation of Taxpayer registration services and aims for the fulfillment of the following goals:

i. Ease of access and speedy service delivery with improved quality;

ii. Single Source of Truth and data consistency

iii. Eco-friendly processes and cost optimization; and

iv. Security and optimization of infrastructure for greater agility.

Media has reported that the present PAN Card holders would receive a free upgraded PAN card featuring a QR code under the proposed 2.0 project.