Cabinet approves PAN 2.0, PAN cards to have QR codes

The Union Cabinet on Monday, November 25, approved the PAN 2.0 Project of the Income Tax Department aimed at transforming the Permanent Account Number (PAN) into a ‘common business identifier’ for all digital systems across government agencies.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the upgrades under the project, with an outlay of ₹1,435 crore. The project enables technology-driven transformation of taxpayer registration services and is aimed at ease of access and speedy service delivery with improved quality.

This e-Governance initiative re-engineers the business processes of PAN/TAN services, consolidating core and non-core activities while streamlining PAN validation services.

“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 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,” CCEA said.

Key Benefits of PAN 2.0

The PAN 2.0 Project will bring a range of benefits, including:

• Ease of Access: Faster, more efficient, and high-quality service delivery.
• Data Consistency: A unified “Single Source of Truth” to ensure accuracy across systems.
• Eco-Friendly Operations: Reduction in paperwork, optimising costs, and promoting sustainability.
• Enhanced Security: Robust infrastructure for greater agility and secure operations.

The project aligns with the Government’s Digital India initiative, leveraging the Permanent Account Number (PAN) as a Common Identifier for specified government digital systems.