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—state-scheme:assam:pan-card [2026/07/18 21:50] (current) – created - external edit 127.0.0.1
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 +{{htmlmetatags>metatag-keywords=(rti for PAN card status in Assam, Assam PAN card status rti, file rti for PAN card Assam, CBDT PAN RTI Assam, NSDL PAN delay Guwahati, UTIITSL PAN status Assam, PAN second appeal CIC Assam, Assam RTI fees)
 +metatag-description=(File an RTI for PAN card status from Assam to the CBDT CPIO, not the state portal. Rs. 10 fee, online filing, 30-day clock and a full template.)
 +metatag-title=(RTI for PAN Card Status in Assam — How to File)}}
  
 +====== RTI for PAN Card Status in Assam ======
 +
 +<WRAP info>**Quick answer.** In Assam, an RTI for **PAN card status** does **not** go to any Assam state office. A Permanent Account Number is issued by the **Income Tax Department / Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT)**, which is a Central public authority. You file the RTI to the **Central Public Information Officer, CBDT (PAN)** online at [[https://rtionline.gov.in/]] or by Speed Post, pay the **Rs. 10** fee, and a reply is legally due in **30 days** under Section 7(1) of the RTI Act 2005. If no reply comes, you file a First Appeal under Section 19(1), and finally a Second Appeal to the **Central Information Commission**, not to the Assam State Information Commission.</WRAP>
 +
 +If you applied for a PAN card from anywhere in Assam — Guwahati, Dibrugarh, Jorhat, Silchar, Tezpur, or a tea-garden town in upper Assam — and your application has been stuck for months at NSDL, UTIITSL or the Income Tax Department, the Right to Information Act 2005 is one of the cleanest legal tools you have to force a written, dated answer. This guide is written specifically for the Assam applicant: it tells you the exact office to address, the fee, the online and postal route, the appeal ladder, and the questions that actually work. For the full national template, decision tree and case law, see the parent guide at [[/rti-for-pan-card-status|RTI for PAN card status]]. You can also draft your application in minutes with the [[https://righttoinformation.wiki/tools/ai-rti-draft-app.html|AI RTI Drafter]].
 +
 +===== Why a PAN card RTI in Assam is different from other state RTIs =====
 +
 +This is the single most important point on this page, and the place where most Assam applicants go wrong.
 +
 +A PAN card is **not** a state government document. The power to allot, print and dispatch a PAN sits with the **Income Tax Department, Government of India**, working through the **Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT)**. The two agencies you see at the counter — **Protean (formerly NSDL e-Governance)** at [[https://www.proteantech.in/services/tin/]] and **UTIITSL** at [[https://www.utiitsl.com/]] — are only the front-end service providers authorised by the Income Tax Department to receive and process applications on its behalf. UTIITSL is itself a Government company under Section 2(45) of the Companies Act 2013.
 +
 +Because CBDT is a **Central** public authority, three things follow for an Assam resident:
 +
 +  - The Assam state RTI online portal at [[https://rtionline.assam.gov.in/]] **cannot** accept your PAN RTI. That portal states on its home page that it accepts applications only "for the Departments/Public Authorities of the Govt. of Assam". Filing a PAN RTI there will only get it returned.
 +  - Your Second Appeal, if one is needed, goes to the **Central Information Commission (CIC)** at [[https://cic.gov.in/]] — not to the [[https://sic.assam.gov.in/|Assam Information Commission]] in Guwahati. The Assam SIC is the correct body only for state-government matters.
 +  - The fee, the rules and the 30-day reply clock are the **Central** ones, set under the Right to Information (Regulation of Fee and Cost) Rules, not the Assam state fee schedule.
 +
 +So "filing an RTI for PAN card status in Assam" really means: **you are an Assam resident, filing against a Central public authority, through a Central portal or by post to a Central office.** The rest of this page works through exactly how.
 +
 +===== Which public authority actually holds your PAN file =====
 +
 +Before you write the application, it helps to know who is sitting on your file. The PAN lifecycle in India looks like this:
 +
 +| **Stage** | **Agency** | **Public authority under RTI** |
 +| **Receiving the application (Form 49A / 49AA)** | Protean (NSDL) TIN-FCs, or UTIITSL PAN centres | Yes — deemed PA as CBDT's authorised agent |
 +| **Verification of name, DOB, Aadhaar link** | Income Tax Department / CBDT (systems wing) | Yes — Central PA |
 +| **Allotment of the 10-digit PAN** | Income Tax Department / CBDT | Yes — Central PA |
 +| **Printing and dispatch of the physical card** | Protean (NSDL) or UTIITSL | Yes — CBDT's authorised agent |
 +| **Grievance and status queries** | TIN Call Centre, Aaykar Sampark Kendra, CPGRAMS | Routing channels, not PAs themselves |
 +
 +The Income Tax Department confirms on its official contact page at [[https://www.incometax.gov.in/iec/foportal/contact-us]] that "Tax Information Network - NSDL" queries related to PAN and TAN application for issuance/update are handled by the **TIN-NSDL helpline +91-20-27218080**, available 07:00 to 23:00 hours on all days. For e-filing and Centralized Processing Center queries the toll-free numbers are **1800 103 0025** and **1800 419 0025**. The Aaykar Sampark Kendra of the Income Tax Department is reachable at **1800 180 1961**. All of these are useful **before** you escalate to an RTI — many "stuck PAN" cases are resolved by a single phone call that creates a dated grievance reference number, which you can then quote in your RTI.
 +
 +For an RTI, however, the correct legal addressee is the **CPIO, Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT)**, or the CPIO of the specific Income Tax office that is handling your case. The fastest way to identify that office from Assam is the **"Know Your AO"** service on [[https://www.incometax.gov.in/]], which returns the jurisdictional Assessing Officer for a given PAN or address.
 +
 +===== Where exactly do you file the RTI in Assam =====
 +
 +You have three workable routes from anywhere in Assam.
 +
 +**Route 1 — Online, through the Central RTI portal.** Go to [[https://rtionline.gov.in/]], the portal run by the Department of Personnel & Training, Government of India. It explicitly allows Indian citizens to file RTI applications and first appeals "for all Ministries/Departments and other Public Authorities of Central Government", which includes CBDT and the Income Tax Department. You register with a mobile number, select **Ministry of Finance → Department of Revenue → Central Board of Direct Taxes** (or the specific Income Tax office), paste your application, upload supporting documents, and pay the Rs. 10 fee through the integrated gateway. The portal's help desk is **011-24010690 / 011-24010691** (09:00 to 17:30, Monday to Friday) and the email is [email protected].
 +
 +**Route 2 — By Speed Post to the CPIO.** Address the envelope to the Central Public Information Officer, CBDT / Jurisdictional Income Tax office, mark it "RTI Application under Section 6(1)" on the top, and send it by India Post Speed Post from any Assam post office. Keep the Speed Post tracking slip — it is your proof of the date of receipt, which starts the 30-day clock.
 +
 +**Route 3 — Hand delivery at the Income Tax office.** For applicants in and around Guwahati, the Income Tax Department's North Eastern Region offices administer PAN and direct-tax matters for Assam. You can hand-deliver a paper RTI at the receipt counter and insist on a stamped acknowledgment copy. The Assam state capital complex at Dispur and the older Income Tax buildings in Guwahati handle such deliveries on working days.
 +
 +For your reference, here is the routing cheat-sheet for an Assam PAN applicant:
 +
 +| **Task** | **Where an Assam resident goes** |
 +| **File the PAN RTI (online)** | [[https://rtionline.gov.in/]] — select CBDT / Income Tax Dept |
 +| **File the PAN RTI (by post)** | CPIO, CBDT or jurisdictional Income Tax AO |
 +| **Track physical PAN application** | NSDL TIN-FC where you submitted; helpline 020-27218080 |
 +| **Locate your Assessing Officer** | "Know Your AO" on [[https://www.incometax.gov.in/]] |
 +| **State-level RTI matters (not PAN)** | [[https://rtionline.assam.gov.in/]], helpdesk 0361-2337900 |
 +| **State Information Commission (state PAs only)** | [[https://sic.assam.gov.in/|Assam Information Commission]], Guwahati |
 +
 +===== What is the fee and how do you pay it =====
 +
 +Because the addressee is a Central public authority, the **Central** RTI fee applies, not the Assam state fee.
 +
 +| **Applicant category** | **Application fee** | **How to pay** |
 +| **General citizen** | Rs. 10 | Indian Postal Order, Banker's Cheque, Demand Draft favouring the Accounts Officer of the PA, or online via the rtionline.gov.in gateway |
 +| **BPL cardholder** | Nil | Attach a photocopy of the BPL ration card / Antyodaya certificate |
 +| **For printed/copied information supplied** | Rs. 2 per A4 page | Paid after the CPIO intimates the further cost under Section 7(3) |
 +| **For information on CD/floppy** | Actual cost of the medium | As intimated by the CPIO |
 +
 +The online gateway on [[https://rtionline.gov.in/]] accepts **internet banking, debit and credit cards of Master/Visa, RuPay cards, and UPI**. For Assam applicants who do not have net banking, the **IPO route** is the safest — you can buy a Rs. 10 Indian Postal Order at any post office in Assam, cross it in favour of the "Accounts Officer, CBDT" or the relevant Income Tax office, and attach it to the printed application.
 +
 +BPL applicants — and many tea-garden workers and small farmers in rural Assam fall in this category — pay **nothing**, but must attach a clear copy of the BPL proof. Without that proof the application is treated as fee-unpaid and can be returned.
 +
 +===== Step-by-step: filing from Assam =====
 +
 +  - **Step 1 — Gather your identifiers.** Note down your 15-digit PAN acknowledgement number (NSDL format like "881031234567890" or UTIITSL coupon number), the date of application, the documents you submitted, and the registered mobile number. Without the acknowledgement number the CPIO cannot trace your file.
 +  - **Step 2 — Find your Assessing Officer.** Use **"Know Your AO"** on [[https://www.incometax.gov.in/]] by entering your PAN (if already partly allotted) or your Assam address. This is the office most likely to be holding your file.
 +  - **Step 3 — Draft the application.** Use the template in the sample section below, or build one with the [[https://righttoinformation.wiki/tools/ai-rti-draft-app.html|AI RTI Drafter]]. Keep it to one page. Ask **specific, dated** questions — vague applications get vague replies.
 +  - **Step 4 — Pay the Rs. 10 fee.** Online via the gateway, or by IPO favouring the Accounts Officer of the public authority. BPL applicants attach proof and pay nothing.
 +  - **Step 5 — Submit.** Online through [[https://rtionline.gov.in/]] is fastest — you immediately get a registration number. By post, use Speed Post and keep the slip with the tracking ID and posting date.
 +  - **Step 6 — Start the 30-day clock.** The clock runs from the **date the application is received** by the public authority, not the date you posted it. Online, this is the registration date; by Speed Post, it is the delivery date shown in the India Post tracking.
 +  - **Step 7 — Track.** On the central portal, "View Status" shows whether the application is pending, replied, or transferred under Section 6(3). Use the [[https://righttoinformation.wiki/tools/timeline-calculator-app.html|RTI Timeline Calculator]] to know the exact day your reply is due and the day your First Appeal window opens.
 +
 +===== What you can legally ask about your PAN application =====
 +
 +The RTI Act gives you the right to **information**, not the right to demand a service. So instead of "please issue my PAN card", you ask for **factual status information**. These five questions almost always get a reply:
 +
 +  - What is the current status of my PAN application bearing acknowledgement number __, filed on __?
 +  - On what specific date was my application forwarded by NSDL/UTIITSL to the Income Tax Department for verification, and to which office?
 +  - If the application is marked for discrepancy, what is the exact discrepancy, and what is the date on which the discrepancy was raised?
 +  - By what date, under the Citizen's Charter of the Income Tax Department, should a PAN application be processed and the PAN dispatched?
 +  - The names, designations and office addresses of the officials currently handling my application.
 +
 +That last question — naming the officials — is powerful because it makes Section 20 penalty exposure personal to the officer dealing with your file.
 +
 +===== If you do not get a reply: First Appeal under Section 19(1) =====
 +
 +If 30 days pass with no reply — or you get a reply that is evasive, partial, or wrong — you have the right to a **First Appeal** under Section 19(1) of the RTI Act. The appeal goes to the **First Appellate Authority (FAA)**, an officer senior in rank to the CPIO in the same public authority.
 +
 +| **First Appeal fact** | **Detail** |
 +| **Section** | Section 19(1), RTI Act 2005 |
 +| **Time to file** | Within 30 days from the date you should have received the reply (or from the date of an unsatisfactory reply); extendable to 45 days if you can show reasonable cause for delay |
 +| **Fee** | Nil on the Central portal for first appeal |
 +| **Where to file** | Online through [[https://rtionline.gov.in/]] ("Submit First Appeal"), or by post to the FAA of the CBDT / Income Tax office |
 +| **FAA's deadline** | Decide within 30 days, extendable to 45 days in writing |
 +
 +The Central portal has integrated first-appeal filing, so you simply enter your original RTI registration number and the system pulls the linked details. For Assam applicants filing on paper, address the appeal to "The First Appellate Authority, CBDT / jurisdictional Income Tax office" and attach a copy of the original application and the (non-)reply.
 +
 +If the FAA also fails you, use the [[https://righttoinformation.wiki/tools/first-appeal-app.html|First Appeal Drafter]] to assemble a clean, dated document for the next stage.
 +
 +===== Second Appeal: where Assam residents actually go =====
 +
 +This is the second most-misunderstood point on this page. For a PAN matter, your Second Appeal under Section 19(3) goes to the **Central Information Commission (CIC)** — the national body at [[https://cic.gov.in/]] — **not** to the Assam State Information Commission.
 +
 +Why? Because the CIC hears second appeals against Central public authorities (like CBDT), while each State Information Commission hears only second appeals against state public authorities. Mixing them up is the most common reason a Second Appeal gets returned as "not maintainable".
 +
 +| **Second Appeal fact** | **Detail** |
 +| **Section** | Section 19(3), RTI Act 2005 |
 +| **Forum** | Central Information Commission, New Delhi |
 +| **Time to file** | Within 90 days from the date of the FAA's decision, or from the date the FAA's 30/45-day deadline expired |
 +| **Condable delay** | The Commission can condone delay for sufficient cause |
 +| **Online filing** | CIC portal, integrated with rtionline.gov.in — enter your first-appeal registration number to auto-pull linked details |
 +| **Hearing** | Usually video-conferenced; Assam appellants need not travel to Delhi |
 +
 +The CIC portal, since its integration with the DoPT RTI Online portal, lets you file a Second Appeal by entering the First Appeal Registration Number, your email ID and the date you filed the First Appeal; the system auto-retrieves the underlying RTI application and the first appeal. For Assam appellants this is a real cost saving — hearings are typically conducted over video conference, so you do **not** have to travel to New Delhi.
 +
 +The Assam Information Commission at [[https://sic.assam.gov.in/|sic.assam.gov.in]], located at Jonakee Complex, Shilpagram Road, Panjabari, Guwahati-781037 and established on 2 March 2006, is the correct body **only** if your RTI is against an Assam state department (for example, an Assam state PWD file or an Assam revenue document) — never for a PAN matter.
 +
 +===== Common reasons PAN RTIs get rejected =====
 +
 +  - **Wrong addressee.** Addressing the application to the Assam State PIO, the district administration, or "the PAN office" without naming CBDT — the application gets bounced. Always name CBDT / the Income Tax Department.
 +  - **Fee unpaid or wrongly paid.** Filing on the central portal without completing the Rs. 10 payment, or sending an IPO favouring the wrong office. Always favour the "Accounts Officer" of the public authority you are addressing.
 +  - **Vague questions.** Asking "why is my PAN delayed" without giving the acknowledgement number and dates — the CPIO can lawfully say the information cannot be located.
 +  - **Seeking a service, not information.** Demanding "issue my PAN immediately" is outside RTI scope. Frame every question as a request for **factual information**.
 +  - **Third-party / privacy shield.** Asking for someone else's PAN details will hit Section 8(1)(j). RTI is for **your own** application status.
 +  - **No proof of posting.** Without a Speed Post slip or a portal registration number you cannot prove the 30-day clock ever started.
 +
 +Before you send, run your draft through the [[https://righttoinformation.wiki/tools/pio-reply-checker-app.html|PIO Reply Checker]] to spot these failure modes.
 +
 +===== Parallel pressure channels that work in Assam =====
 +
 +An RTI is rarely your only lever. Filing these in parallel — and quoting their reference numbers inside your RTI — makes the file move much faster.
 +
 +  - **CPGRAMS** at [[https://pgportal.gov.in/]] — the Centralized Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System. File a grievance against the Income Tax Department / CBDT for the delayed PAN. You get a unique grievance number; quote it in your RTI.
 +  - **Aaykar Sampark Kendra** at **1800 180 1961** — the Income Tax Department's toll-free helpline. Log a call, note the complaint reference number and the date.
 +  - **TIN-NSDL helpline** at **+91-20-27218080** (07:00 to 23:00, all days) — for queries on PAN/TAN applications submitted through NSDL.
 +  - **UTIITSL grievance** through [[https://www.utiitsl.com/]] — for applications routed via UTIITSL.
 +  - **Awaaz RTI** — the [[https://righttoinformation.wiki/tools/awaaz-rti.html|Awaaz RTI]] tool helps you keep all these reference numbers, dates and deadlines in one place so nothing slips.
 +
 +A realistic sequence for an Assam applicant with a stuck PAN: register a CPGRAMS complaint on Day 1, call Aaykar Sampark Kendra on Day 2, file the RTI on Day 3 quoting both reference numbers. By Day 20 you usually have either the PAN or a written reason for the delay.
 +
 +===== Real-life example (composite, illustrative) =====
 +
 +> Rina, a small tea-trader from Dibrugarh, applied for a PAN correction through an NSDL TIN-FC in Guwahati in early 2025. For four months the online status showed "under processing at Income Tax Department". She registered a CPGRAMS complaint, called the Aaykar Sampark Kendra (1800 180 1961), and filed an RTI through [[https://rtionline.gov.in/]] addressed to the CPIO, CBDT, asking the five questions listed above and quoting her CPGRAMS number. Within 22 days she received a written reply stating that her application had been held up for biometric Aadhaar authentication and specifying the exact document she needed to submit. She submitted the document at the TIN-FC; the PAN was dispatched within the next fortnight. *(Names and dates changed; this is an illustrative composite, not a single verified case.)*
 +
 +The lesson is not magical — it is simply that a **dated, written** RTI forces a named official to give a **dated, written** answer, which a phone call never does.
 +
 +===== Sample RTI application =====
 +
 +<code>
 +To,
 +The Central Public Information Officer (CPIO),
 +Central Board of Direct Taxes / Income Tax Department,
 +[Office address, Guwahati / New Delhi as applicable]
 +
 +Subject: Application under Section 6(1) of the Right to Information Act, 2005 —
 +         Status of PAN application bearing acknowledgement No. ___________
 +
 +Sir/Madam,
 +
 +I, _____________________, citizen of India, residing at
 +[full postal address in Assam with PIN], hereby seek the following
 +information under Section 6(1) read with Section 7(1) of the Right to
 +Information Act, 2005, relating to my PAN application filed on
 +[DD/MM/YYYY] through [NSDL/UTIITSL], acknowledgement No. ___________ .
 +
 +The requisite application fee of Rs. 10 is paid through
 +[IPO No. __ / online receipt No. __ / attached BPL proof].
 +
 +Please furnish the following information:
 +
 +1. The current status of my aforesaid PAN application, and the exact
 +   stage at which it is presently pending.
 +
 +2. The date on which the application was forwarded by NSDL/UTIITSL to
 +   the Income Tax Department for verification, and the designation and
 +   office address of the officer to whom it was forwarded.
 +
 +3. If the application is marked for discrepancy or kept pending, the
 +   exact reason recorded, the date on which it was so marked, and the
 +   specific document or action required from me to clear it.
 +
 +4. The prescribed time-limit under the Citizen's Charter of the Income
 +   Tax Department for processing a PAN application and dispatching the
 +   PAN card, and whether my application has breached that limit.
 +
 +5. The names, designations and office addresses of the officials
 +   currently handling my application.
 +
 +I request that the information be supplied to me in printed form at
 +the address given above. As required under Section 7(1), please reply
 +within 30 days of receipt of this application.
 +
 +If this information falls outside your jurisdiction, kindly transfer
 +the application to the correct public authority under Section 6(3)
 +within five working days and intimate me accordingly.
 +
 +Date: [DD/MM/YYYY]
 +Place: [City, Assam]
 +
 +(Signature)
 +Name: _____________________
 +Mobile: ___________________
 +Email: ____________________
 +Enclosures: Copy of acknowledgement, fee proof / BPL proof.
 +</code>
 +
 +When the reply arrives, paste it into the [[https://righttoinformation.wiki/tools/pio-reply-checker-app.html|PIO Reply Checker]] to see whether it actually answers all five questions — and whether you have grounds for a First Appeal.
 +
 +===== Fees, offices and timelines at a glance =====
 +
 +| **Item** | **For a PAN RTI from Assam** |
 +| **Public authority** | CBDT / Income Tax Department (Central) |
 +| **Online portal** | [[https://rtionline.gov.in/]] |
 +| **Application fee** | Rs. 10 (BPL exempt) |
 +| **Reply deadline** | 30 days under Section 7(1); 48 hours for life/liberty |
 +| **First Appeal** | Section 19(1), within 30 days, to FAA of CBDT |
 +| **Second Appeal** | Section 19(3), within 90 days, to Central Information Commission |
 +| **Penalty on PIO** | Section 20: Rs. 250 per day, capped at Rs. 25,000 |
 +| **State portal (state matters only)** | [[https://rtionline.assam.gov.in/]] |
 +| **State SIC (state matters only)** | [[https://sic.assam.gov.in/|Assam Information Commission]], Guwahati |
 +
 +===== Frequently asked questions =====
 +
 +==== Can I file my PAN RTI through the Assam state portal rtionline.assam.gov.in? ====
 +
 +No. That portal, run by the Administrative Reforms, Training, Pension and Public Grievances Department of the Government of Assam and maintained by the Assam Information Commission, explicitly accepts RTI applications only for the Departments and Public Authorities of the Government of Assam. Because a PAN card is issued by the Central Board of Direct Taxes — a Central public authority — you must use the Central portal at [[https://rtionline.gov.in/]] instead.
 +
 +==== What is the RTI fee for a PAN application in Assam? ====
 +
 +Rs. 10, payable by Indian Postal Order, Banker's Cheque, Demand Draft, or through the online payment gateway on [[https://rtionline.gov.in/]] which accepts internet banking, credit/debit cards of Master/Visa, RuPay and UPI. Below Poverty Line applicants pay nothing if they attach valid BPL proof.
 +
 +==== Is there a separate Assam RTI rule that applies to my PAN case? ====
 +
 +No. Because the addressee is a Central public authority (CBDT), the **Central** RTI Rules on fee and cost apply. The Assam state RTI Rules apply only to RTIs against Assam state departments. For a state-fee overview see [[/rti-fees-by-state|RTI fees by state]].
 +
 +==== How many days does the CBDT have to reply? ====
 +
 +30 days from the date your application is received by the public authority, under Section 7(1) of the RTI Act 2005. If your request concerns the life or liberty of a person, the reply is due within 48 hours. Use the [[https://righttoinformation.wiki/tools/timeline-calculator-app.html|RTI Timeline Calculator]] to mark the exact due date.
 +
 +==== Where do I file the First Appeal if I am in Assam? ====
 +
 +With the First Appellate Authority of the CBDT or the jurisdictional Income Tax office, under Section 19(1), within 30 days of the expiry of the reply period or of an unsatisfactory reply. The Central portal at [[https://rtionline.gov.in/]] allows online first-appeal filing linked to your original registration number. Draft it with the [[https://righttoinformation.wiki/tools/first-appeal-app.html|First Appeal Drafter]].
 +
 +==== Where do I file the Second Appeal — Guwahati or Delhi? ====
 +
 +Online, to the **Central Information Commission** at [[https://cic.gov.in/]], under Section 19(3), within 90 days. Hearings are usually held by video conference, so an Assam appellant does not need to travel to Delhi. Do **not** file a PAN second appeal at the Assam Information Commission — it will be returned for want of jurisdiction.
 +
 +==== Can I ask for someone else's PAN status? ====
 +
 +No. Information relating to a third party's PAN attracts the personal-information exemption under Section 8(1)(j) of the RTI Act. RTI is the right tool for the status of **your own** application, not for prying into another person's tax identity.
 +
 +==== My PAN shows "under process at Income Tax Department" for months. What should my RTI ask? ====
 +
 +Ask exactly when the application was forwarded to the Income Tax Department, which office holds it now, what discrepancy (if any) is recorded, what document is required from you, and by what date under the Citizen's Charter it should have been processed. The five-question template above is built for precisely this situation.
 +
 +==== Can NSDL / Protean or UTIITSL be named as respondents in the RTI? ====
 +
 +They are the authorised service providers for the Income Tax Department. Address your application to the **CPIO, CBDT / Income Tax Department**, which then routes the query internally. You can mention the agency you applied through (NSDL or UTIITSL) and quote your acknowledgement number, but the legal addressee remains CBDT.
 +
 +==== What if I am a BPL applicant in rural Assam? ====
 +
 +Your fee is fully waived under the RTI Rules once you attach a copy of your BPL ration card or Antyodaya Anna Yojana certificate. You can file by Speed Post from your nearest post office and avoid the online gateway entirely. Keep the postal slip as your proof.
 +
 +==== Will the Assam Information Commission ever hear a PAN case? ====
 +
 +Only if the matter somehow involved an Assam state public authority alongside CBDT, which is rare for PAN. In the ordinary PAN case the Assam Information Commission at [[https://sic.assam.gov.in/|sic.assam.gov.in]] has no jurisdiction; the Central Information Commission does.
 +
 +==== How do I prove the date my RTI was received? ====
 +
 +Online filings on [[https://rtionline.gov.in/]] generate a registration number and a date stamp immediately. Postal filings are proved by the Speed Post delivery status on the India Post tracking site — the delivery date is treated as the date of receipt under the RTI Act. Always download and save both.
 +
 +==== Does the 2019 RTI Amendment affect my PAN RTI? ====
 +
 +The Right to Information (Amendment) Act 2019 changed the term and service conditions of the Chief Information Commissioner and Information Commissioners. It did **not** change your right to seek information, the Rs. 10 fee, the 30-day reply window, or the Sections 6, 7, 19 and 20 protections you rely on for a PAN RTI. Your filing procedure is unchanged.
 +
 +===== Reviewers, methodology and last-reviewed date =====
 +
 +<WRAP round info>
 +**E-E-A-T and editorial note.** This guide was prepared by the editorial team of righttoinformation.wiki and fact-checked against the official portals of the Government of India and the Government of Assam on the dates listed in Sources.
 +
 +  - **Medical, legal and procedural review:** Dr. Shrawan Kumar Pathak (RTI practitioner) and Kashvi Pathak (editorial reviewer).
 +  - **Methodology:** every URL, fee and statutory section cited was opened and read in this revision cycle. Where a figure could not be independently confirmed against a primary government source, it was dropped rather than estimated.
 +  - **Last reviewed:** 19 July 2026.
 +  - **Next review due:** January 2027, or earlier if the RTI Rules, the Central portal, or CBDT's PAN process is amended.
 +
 +This page forms part of the state-scheme matrix; see [[/state-scheme/assam/start|all RTI schemes for Assam]], [[/scheme-state/pan-card/start|RTI for PAN card status across all states]], and the [[/state-rti-portals-directory|state portals directory]] for the wider picture. For the statutory text, see [[/act|the RTI Act]] and the [[/cases|case law digest]].
 +</WRAP>
 +
 +===== Sources =====
 +
 +Verified in this revision cycle:
 +
 +  * Right to Information Act, 2005 — Sections 6(1), 6(3), 7(1), 7(3), 8(1)(j), 19(1), 19(3) and 20; full background and timelines cross-checked at [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_to_Information_Act,_2005]].
 +  * Central RTI Online portal, Department of Personnel & Training, Government of India — [[https://rtionline.gov.in/]]; help desk 011-24010690 / 011-24010691; email [email protected]; payment modes (internet banking, Master/Visa, RuPay, UPI) as stated on the portal home page.
 +  * Assam State RTI Online portal — [[https://rtionline.assam.gov.in/]]; an initiative of the Administrative Reforms, Training, Pension and Public Grievances Department, Government of Assam; maintained by the Assam Information Commission; help desk 0361-2337900; email [email protected].
 +  * Assam Information Commission, Guwahati — [[https://sic.assam.gov.in/]] (returns 200; the live site the Assam state RTI portal itself links to for Second Appeals at sic.assam.gov.in/public/second_appeal.jsp); location and establishment date cross-checked via [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assam_Information_Commission]].
 +  * Income Tax Department, Government of India — [[https://www.incometax.gov.in/]]; "Know Your AO", "Verify PAN Status".
 +  * Income Tax Department contact page — [[https://www.incometax.gov.in/iec/foportal/contact-us]]: CPC helpline 1800 103 0025 (or) 1800 419 0025; "Tax Information Network - NSDL" helpline +91-20-27218080 (07:00–23:00 hrs, all days), as listed on the page.
 +  * Protean eGov Technologies (formerly NSDL e-Governance) — Tax Information Network service page at [[https://www.proteantech.in/services/tin/]] (returns 200; listed in the site's own sitemap). This is the live successor to the former NSDL e-Governance TIN web presence. Statement that only Protean (NSDL) and UTIITSL are authorised by the Income Tax Department to process PAN applications.
 +  * UTIITSL — [[https://www.utiitsl.com/]]; statement that PAN Card issuance/printing is done on behalf of the Income Tax Department of India, CBDT; UTIITSL is a Government company under Section 2(45) of the Companies Act 2013.
 +  * Aaykar Sampark Kendra helpline 1800 180 1961 — Income Tax Department toll-free helpline.
 +  * Centralized Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) — [[https://pgportal.gov.in/]].
 +  * Central Information Commission — [[https://cic.gov.in/]].
 +
 +//Last reviewed: 19 July 2026.//
 +
 +{{tag>assam pan-card state-scheme citizen-rti rti-template matrix-enriched}}