Children Of Single Mothers Should Not Have Father's Name On PAN Card, Suggests Maneka Gandhi

Kids of separated or divorced women or those adopted by single mothers must be given the option of dropping the name of their father on PAN Card, Women and Child Development (WCD) Minister Maneka Gandhi has proposed.

Mrs Gandhi has written to interim Finance Minister Piyush Goyal to let children of single mothers apply for a PAN card without mentioning the name of their father.

BCCL

"Keeping in view the sensitivity of such single mothers, it is important to give them the option of not having to mention the names of their ex-husbands on the statuary applications before different government authorities. Besides this, single women are also adopting children and my ministry is giving priority for such cases. In such cases, there is no father of the child whose PAN number is being requested for,¡± her letter read.

If accepted it will come as a welcome relief to the children of single mothers, as under the current law it is compulsory for an applicant to mention the name of his/her father while applying for the card, which also serves as an identity proof.

BCCL

Lauding the proposal, National Commission for Women (NCW) chairperson Rekha Sharma said it should have been implemented earlier as it would empower women. "It is something that is very progressive and should have probably been done earlier, but thinking about it now is also a very good decision," said Sharma. "Women need not identify themselves with a man and it is a welcome move that will empower them," she added.

Women's rights activist Mariam Dhawale opined that if Gandhi's suggestion was implemented, it will resolve a lot of issues faced by single women.

"It would prevent obstructions by men who generally create hurdles," she said.