Manish and Anamika Agarwal with Dhwani and the email intimation of her Permanent Account Number. Picture by Bishwarup Dutta

Manish and Anamika Agarwal were in a hurry to name their newborn daughter… so that she could have a PAN card.

Dhwani Agarwal got her PAN (AKHPA6494R) on September 17, just 22 days after birth, becoming the youngest PAN holder in the city. Her parents are excited, as Dhwani might also be the youngest in the country to have a PAN.

“I saw on television that a 45-day-old girl from Orissa was the youngest PAN holder in the country. This motivated me to apply on behalf of my daughter for a PAN,” said Manish, a resident of Behala.

Manish, a senior consultant in a private firm, and Anamika, a homemaker, both got their PAN cards at 22 and felt it was useless to wait so long for the card. “People usually get their PAN cards only when their income becomes taxable. Since there is no age limit, why shouldn’t my daughter get it early?” he asked.

Manish applied for the PAN on September 3, eight days after Dhwani was born and got the number 14 days later. The baby could have received her PAN even earlier, had the agency through which Manish applied been thorough with its job.

“The agency delayed the process by sitting on the application. The National Securities Depository Ltd officials told me that it takes about four days for an applicant to get the card after generation of the PAN,” said the father.

It was not the record alone that motivated the couple. Investments and tax benefits were also on their mind. The day Dhwani got her card, Manish opened an account for her in a private bank.“All I am thinking of is how to make my daughter’s future secure,” he said.