New Delhi: The Centre government has launched the Rs 1,435 crore PAN 2.0 Project to establish the permanent account number (PAN) as a 'common business identifier' for all government digital systems, reported PTI.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced on Monday that the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the initiative.

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Designed by the Income Tax Department, the PAN 2.0 Project aims to modernise taxpayer registration services using advanced technology. It focuses on improving accessibility, speeding up service delivery, and improving service quality. Additional objectives include maintaining a "single source of truth" for data consistency, adopting eco-friendly and cost-effective processes, and enhancing infrastructure security and agility.

"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," stated an official release.

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The project, a part of the government’s e-Governance efforts, will revamp taxpayer registration processes by re-engineering PAN/TAN services for a seamless digital experience. "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 release added. Currently, approximately 78 crore PANs have been issued, with 98 per cent allocated to individuals.

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