Government mandates PAN for post office savings, introduces Form 97
Heads up if you use post office savings!
The government just made it mandatory to quote your PAN (Permanent Account Number) for things like deposits, withdrawals, opening accounts, and time deposits.
If you don't have a PAN yet, there's a new Form 97 you'll need to fill out with your details, basically making sure all transactions are tracked and tax rules are followed.
Form 121 replaces 15G/15H on interest
There's also a fresh Form 121 (replacing the old 15G/15H) for anyone wanting to skip TDS on interest income, just file it every year if you're not liable for tax.
Plus, Delhi just got its Jan Seva Connect post office as part of a big upgrade plan. As Chief Minister Rekha Gupta put it, this is about turning post offices into one-stop shops for digital services like Aadhaar services and passport assistance.