Now, companies can apply for PAN online through e-Biz portal

Entrepreneurs can apply for PAN card number online through the e-Biz portal, a move that will improve ease of doing business in the country by providing one-stop clearance platform for investment proposals.

"PAN integration with the e-Biz portal has been completed," a senior official in the Income Tax Department said.

The PAN number is mandatory for filing income tax returns and other tax related issue.

The government is in the process of integrating all the state and central government services to this portal in a bid to improve ease of doing business in the country.

Launch of the e-Biz portal is seen as one of the major steps towards that direction.

Entrepreneurs can apply online for as many as 11 services through this portal. With the integration of these services, an entrepreneur can avail of all these services 24x7 online -- submission of forms, attachments, payments, tracking of status and obtaining the licence/permit from the portal.

Four services from Corporate Affairs Ministry, two each from Central Board of Direct Taxes and the RBI and one service each from DGFT and EPFO and Petroleum & Explosives Safety Organisation have been integrated with the portal.

India has been ranked 142 among the 189 countries in the World Bank report on ease of doing business, falling two places from last year's ranking. The government is aiming to bring India into the top 50 ranks.

EBiz, the Government-to-Business portal was conceptualised with support from National Institute of Smart Government as the consulting partner and developed by Infosys Ltd in a PPP model for a period of 10 years.

The first three years of the term would be the pilot phase, while the remaining seven years will be the expansion phase. During the pilot phase, 50 (26 central + 24 state) services are being implemented across ten pilot states including Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.

It is envisaged that during the next few years more than 200 services related to investors and businesses will be rolled-out across the country.