The Central government (Tax Department) has decided to issue biometric PAN cards to taxpayers across the country to weed out the problem of duplicate and fake ones.
The decision was taken recently by the finance ministry as Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) reported and asked the income tax department to ensure that a single tax payer is not issued multiple cards.
The proposed new biometric Permanent Account Number (PAN) cards would bear the I-T assessee’ fingerprints (two from each hand) and the face. There could be an option to existing PAN card holders to opt for the biometric card.
The finance ministry and the I-T department had put on hold the biometric PAN card project last year to avoid duplication with the UID numbers to be issued by Unique Identity Authority of India.
The plan has been set rolling for issuance of biometric PAN cards, according to sources. It is expected that the first such cards could be issued by late this year, they said.
While PAN is a 10-digit alphanumeric number allotted by the I-T department to taxpayers, biometrics uses biological method to identify physical features of an individual.
Source: Times of India.
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