Aadhaar OTP Now Mandatory for PAN Registration on Income Tax Portal

The Income Tax Department has now made it mandatory to use an Aadhaar-based One-Time Password (OTP) for the registration of a new Permanent Account Number (PAN). This new procedure, implemented on the e-filing portal, requires applicants to provide an OTP sent to the mobile number linked with their Aadhaar card to validate their application. This move is aimed at strengthening the PAN application process, preventing the creation of fake or duplicate PANs, and ensuring a more seamless and real-time identity verification. The Aadhaar OTP validation serves as a robust e-KYC (Know Your Customer) check, enhancing the integrity of the PAN database. This change aligns with the government's push for Aadhaar-based authentication across various services and is a significant step towards creating a more secure and verifiable system for tax identification in India.