The first draft was introduced in 2017 and in the Lok Sabha in 2019 which was pulled down that year to be replaced by a 2021 draft
The uncertainty has raised several questions including a delay in making the country’s internet usage safe
But with the new draft, the government is optimistic about data protection, protection of online users and the replacement of the IT Act
After withdrawing the original Personal Data Protection Bill in August 2022, the government is likely to release the new draft of the Data Protection Bill (DPB) for public comments in a week.
“The draft is expected to be issued in a week for public comment,” an official government source told PTI.
The update comes only hours after the Minister of State for Electronics and Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar said in a tweet that India’s upcoming digital Data Protection Bill will end consumers’ data misuse and take action against violating companies.
The first draft was introduced by a panel led by retired Supreme Court Judge BN Srikrishna in 2017 and the draft Bill was introduced in December 2019 in the Lok Sabha. It received industry pushback, especially criticism from a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) and was pulled down in 2019 to be replaced by a 2021 draft.
This was also withdrawn in August 2022 citing reasons such as compliance burden, evolving tech landscape and a pile of recommendations. Considering that the JPC recommended nearly 80+ amendments, the government deemed it fit to pull down the existing draft and share an entirely fresh draft Bill.
This raised several questions over the delay in making the country’s internet usage safe, but the government has been optimistic about the new Bill, despite the delay.
According to several ministers who went on record to talk about the Bill, the DPB will be focused on data protection, guarding online users and replacement of the IT Act. Thus, the government panel is coming up with a comprehensive set of legislation for the entire digital economy.
In September 2022, the Minister for IT and Tech Ashwini Vaishnaw also told the media that the drafting of the new DPB was almost complete and would soon be uploaded for consultation. The new bill would likely be presented in the parliament during the Budget session (February 2023).
