<h1>Government awards Rs 792 crore contract to upgrade PAN system as unified business ID under Section 139A</h1> A government project to upgrade the permanent account number (PAN) system has been awarded to a technology consulting firm for over Rs 792 crore. The initiative, funded with Rs 1,435 crore by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, aims to establish PAN as a unified business identifier across government digital platforms. Scheduled to become operational within 18 months, the project seeks to streamline PAN and TAN processes, enhance service quality, accelerate delivery, and improve grievance mechanisms using advanced technology. It will manage PAN-related functions such as issuance, updates, Aadhaar linking, re-issuance, and online validation through a consolidated platform.