Aadhaar to be made mandatory for filing I-T return, applying for PAN card

In a move that will have a deep-reaching impact, the government on Tuesday proposed to make Aadhar card mandatory for filing income tax return and applying for permanent account number (PAN), which will come into effect from July 1. The government has proposed this rule through an amendment today to the Finance Bill, which is being discussed in the Parliament. Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley is expected to reply on the Finance Bill on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) had earlier said that all devices that use Aadhaar authentication will have to follow its new encryption standards from June 1 onwards. This decision is purely aimed at adding another layer of security to the hardware, especially at a time when these devices are poised to take the centre stage in biometric-based digital payments.

In an interview to news agency PTI, CEO of UIDAI Ajay Bhusan Pandey had said they have recently come out with new specifications and asked manufacturers and vendors to go for STQC certification as per the new standards. "We have advised that from June 1, they should get devices on the new specifications and that the existing devices should be upgraded to the new norms," Pandey had said.