Centre Approves Digital Data Protection Bill: Report The initial draft of the bill was introduced in November last year, and after several rounds of public consultation, a second draft was prepared, which underwent inter-ministerial discussions

The Union Cabinet has approved a draft of Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Bill 2023 for tabling it in the upcoming monsoon session of Parliament, according to a PTI report, citing an official source. The initial draft of the bill was introduced in November last year, and after several rounds of public consultation, a second draft was prepared, which underwent inter-ministerial discussions.

"The purpose of this Act is to provide for the processing of digital personal data in a manner that recognizes both the right of individuals to protect their personal data and the need to process personal data for lawful purposes, and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto," according to an official statement by the government reported.

The bill proposes to levy a penalty of up to INR 250 crore on entities for every instance of violation of norms in the bill. According to the source, the bill includes almost all the provisions of the last draft that was issued by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology for consultation.

The source further added that government entities have not been granted blanket exemption under the proposed law, adding that, "In case of disputes, the Data Protection Board will decide. Citizens will have the right to claim compensation by approaching civil court. There are a lot of things that will evolve gradually."

The upcoming Digital Personal Data Protection Bill will drive "deep behavioural changes" among those platforms in India that have for long exploited or misused personal data, Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar had said, reported news agency PTI.