Life begins with PAN for this infant in TN!

Chennai, Aug 5: In a first of its kind, the Income Tax Department here issued a PAN card carrying the image of a 45-day-old infant, who became the youngest such cardholder in India.

At a time when even those among the salaried class were not coming forward to get one, the baby girl's father, working as a technician with the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) here, applied for a PAN card for his new-born daughter, breaking the record held by 56-day-old Krishi of Mumbai.

Working in the electrical department of the ICF, S Balamurugan (35) saw an article appearing in a leading Tamil Daily and applied for a PAN card for his daughter R B Akshithaa. The card was delivered to him yesterday by the IT Department.

Not attaching much significance in getting the PAN, he said the urge in him to break the record held by Krishi, prompted him to apply for the PAN card for his daughter who was born on June 20 this year.

Earlier, a three-year-old child in Orissa became the youngest to have a PAN card, a record eclipsed by Krishi and now by Akshithaa.

Mr Balamurugan had already opened an account in a nationalised bank in her name. ''Now that she has a PAN card, I plan to make investments in the capital market,'' he said.

Sources in IT Department told the sources that PAN could be given to anybody, including children if the parents wished to make investments on their behalf. Such cards had been issued in Mumbai on previous occasions. However, people were not coming forward to apply for PAN card.

UNI