On August 3, the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) bill was officially tabled in Parliament. Minister for Electronics and Information Technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw, introduced the bill in the Lok Sabha for deliberation.
Objective of the Bill
The primary objective of the DPDP bill is to ensure the proper processing of digital personal data while respecting individuals’ right to protect their personal information. The bill also aims to enable the lawful processing of such data for legitimate purposes.
Extensive Consultations and Stakeholder Feedback
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) initially released a draft version of the bill in November 2022. Following the release, MeitY conducted several rounds of consultations, inviting feedback from various stakeholders. After these consultations, the much-anticipated DPDP bill, finally presented in Parliament as a financial bill.
Minister’s Assurance on Data Protection and Innovation
Rajeev Chandrasekhar, the Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology, expressed his role in leading the extensive consultations that contributed to the development of the bill. On Twitter, he assured that the bill, once passed by Parliament, will safeguard citizens’ rights while promoting the expansion of the innovation economy. He also emphasized the bill’s importance in providing the government with lawful access during national security and emergency situations, such as pandemics and earthquakes.
Drama During the Bill’s Introduction
Before introducing the DPDP bill, an uproar engulfed Parliament when the Rajya Sabha tabled the report on ‘Citizens’ Data Security and Privacy’ from the Parliamentary standing committee on August 1. The Union Cabinet had previously approved the report, which addressed various aspects related to data protection and privacy. The Centre had previously withdrawn an earlier version of the bill in August, subsequently revamping and re-releasing it as the DPDP bill in November last year, opening it for public feedback.
Read more about … Elon Musk rebrands Twitter to “X”, new logo to go live today
