Govt gives nod to project merging Aadhar, PAN databases

In order to weed out the problem of fake PAN cards and to ensure an accurate biometric data, the government has initiated a mammoth project to bring together both the Aadhar and the PAN databases.

The Nandan Nilekani-led Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) issues the Aadhar number which is now being synchronised with the Permanent Account Number database maintained by the I-T Department.

The Finance Ministry, which had first mooted the proposal of generating and issuing biometric PAN in 2006, had kept the decision pending for sometime as it was felt that both the agencies (UIDAI and I-T) would be "duplicating the effort" to reach a common goal -- biometrics-based identity.

"It has been decided to integrate both the Aadhar and the PAN database which will help the agencies to maintain a correct database for ensuring two things.

"While the Aadhar will ensure effective disbursal of government schemes to citizens, the biometric PAN card database will help stop the forgery of PAN cards which begets economic crimes," a senior Finance Ministry official said.

The Finance Ministry, under the then Finance Minister P Chidambaram in 2006, had proposed that the biometric PAN cards would have the I-T assesses' fingerprints (two from each hand) and the face.

This will now be achieved by collating the Aadhar database with that of the PAN.