PAN Number Likely To Be Used As Unique Identifier For Business To Access NSWS Clearance, Says Piyush Goyal Currently, there are over 13 business IDs that use EPFO number, ESIC number, GSTN, TIN, TAN and PAN to apply for government approvals, according to reports

By Teena Jose

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.

Piyush Goyal Twitter handle

Union commerce minister Piyush Goyal, on Monday, said that the government is considering allowing businesses to use their permanent account number (PAN) as a unique identifier for accessing the national single window system (NSWS) to seek different clearances and approvals from central and state government departments.

"We are moving towards using one of the existing databases as the entry point, which is already available with the government, and most probably that will be the PAN number. So, with the PAN, a lot of the basic data about the company, its directors, addresses, and a lot of common data is already available in the PAN database," said Goyal, in a statement, after a review meeting of NSWS in Delhi.

Currently, there are over 13 business IDs that use EPFO number, ESIC number, GSTN, TIN, TAN and PAN to apply for government approvals. According to Goyal, the PAN number will help automatically populate other application forms received in the system to speed up approvals and he also said that his ministry has already approached the department of revenue on the matter, as per reports.

The national single window system (NSWS) is aimed at reducing duplicity of information submission to different ministries, promotes the ease of doing business and so on. It enables the identification, applying and subsequent tracking of approvals for all integrated states and central departments.

NSWS has reportedly received more than 76000 requests and it has approved around 48000 requests. "Only 514 applications faced some sort of technical glitches, which shows the efficiency of the system," added Goyal in the statement.

The minister further added in the statement that, "We will be moving towards newer areas like all inspection approvals, country of origin approvals, export promotion council applications." He also promised that at the next stage, these will come on the system.

Teena Jose

News Desk Reporter with Entrepreneur India

Teena is a post graduate in financial journalism. She has an avid interest in content creation, digital media and fashion.
Growing a Business

The 10 Best Podcasts Every Entrepreneur Should Listen to for Growth, Strategy and Success

Unlock your potential with the 10 must-listen podcasts for entrepreneurs, offering expert insights on growth, strategy and success.

News and Trends

Nikhil Kamath's WTFund Backs 22 Young Entrepreneurs with Grants & Mentorship

WTFund's second cohort, spanning 50+ cities, showcases startups across Tech, D2C, Edtech, Fintech, and more. Tier I drives AI/ML B2B solutions, while Tier II/III focus on vernacular-first B2C innovations.

Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2025.

Growth Strategies

JLR To Ramp Up Production Of Made In India Range Rover & Range Rover Sport; To Focus On SV Variants: Rajan Amba

We are focusing on tailor made limited edition cars, specifically for the Indian market, catering to the high net worth individuals (HNIs), says Rajan Amba, MD, JLR India