<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">The Central Board of Direct Taxes, CBDT has extended the deadline for the PAN- Aadhaar linking to June 30.&nbsp;</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br />''</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">The policy-making body of the tax department issued an order yesterday extending the deadline from the current last date of March 31.&nbsp;</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br />''</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">The order said, the deadline for the PAN-Aadhaar linking for filing I-T Returns is being extended after consideration of the matter.&nbsp;</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br />''</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">The latest order by the CBDT has come in the backdrop of the Supreme Court's direction earlier this month which extended the March 31 deadline indefinitely till further orders, for linking Aadhaar with various other services like mobile phone numbers and bank accounts.&nbsp;</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br />''</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">This is a fourth extension given by the government for individuals to link their Permanent Account Number (PAN) with their biometric ID Aadhaar.</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br />''</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">The government has now made quoting of Aadhaar mandatory for filing Income Tax Returns as well as obtaining a new PAN.</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br />''</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">As per d data till March 5, over 16.65 crore PANs, out of a total about 33 crore, have been linked with Aadhaar.</div>