The Digital Personal Data Protection Bill 2022 was published on November 18 by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). The aim of this Act is to make provisions for the processing of digital personal data in a way that acknowledges both the need to process personal data for legitimate purposes and the right of individuals to have their personal data protected.
The provision of a fine of up to Rs 250 crore on entities managing data that fail to implement reasonable security safeguards is one of the draft’s standout features.
MeitY has requested public comments on the draught Bill by December 17, 2022. MeitY claims that the comments can be offered on the MyGov website, and that a link would be made available shortly. The submissions would be treated in strict confidence, according to MeitY’s confirmation.
The Supreme Court’s landmark Puttaswamy Judgment, which determined that privacy is a fundamental right of Indian citizens, obligated the government to enact legislation to safeguard this right, and a data protection law has been in the works ever since.
The updated IT Act of 2000, the new Data Protection Bill, and the Telecommunications Bill 2022 are anticipated to establish the legal foundation for India’s digital economy. On December 11, 2019, the Data Protection Bill 2019 was introduced, and the Joint Committee of both Houses of Parliament (JCP) was given the task of reviewing it. In December 2021, the JCP report was delivered to the Lok Sabha. The Bill was later sent back with up to 81 modifications. In August 2022, Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw revoked it from the Lok Sabha.
