when pan card started in india

The PAN card system was first introduced in India in 1972 under Section 139A of the Income Tax Act of 1961. It was launched to improve tax compliance and overcome the limitations of the older General Index Register (GIR) system. Although introduced in 1972, the unique, 10-digit alphanumeric PAN structure that is in use today was established later, with the system being made statutory and mandatory for taxpayers from 1976 onwards.