Government extends date for linking Aadhaar with PAN till March 31

The Centre has extended the date for Aadhaar linkage with PAN to March 31 from December 31. The CBDT, in a press release, said it was doing so to provide relief to taxpayers who have not yet completed the linking of PAN with Aadhaar. "Therefore, to facilitate the process of linking, it has been decided to further extend the time for linking of Aadhaar with PAN till 31.03.2018," a statement said.The new alert comes a day after the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) clarified that notifications making Aadhaar mandatory for availing various welfare programmes as well as linking it with bank accounts and mobile phone SIM cards remain valid.

On Thursday, the Supreme Court proposed a five-judge Constitution bench to be set up by next week to hear pleas seeking an interim stay on the mandatory linking of Aadhaar to avail the benefits of various services and welfare schemes. More details are awaited.