Your Data, Your Privacy: Rajya Sabha Passes Digital Personal Data Protection Bill
The bill is currently awaiting the President's approval to become the nation's inaugural legislation dedicated to ensuring the protection of individuals' personal data.
In a monumental stride towards securing individual privacy, the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill achieved a resounding approval through a voice vote in the Rajya Sabha on August 9. This landmark legislation, which paves the way for India's inaugural data protection law, now awaits the crucial seal of approval from President Draupadi Murmu to become enshrined in the country's legal framework.
Propelled forward by the Minister for Electronics and Information Technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw, the bill successfully traversed the upper house of the Parliament. Notably, its journey to fruition also encompassed the Lok Sabha, where it was endorsed on August 7.
The genesis of this imperative law can be traced back to 2016 when the Supreme Court's recognition of the Right to Privacy as a fundamental tenet, albeit within reasonable constraints, spurred its necessity across various segments of society.
An antecedent to this historic achievement was the introduction of the Personal Data Protection (PDP) Bill in 2018, which subsequently found its way to the legislative chambers in 2019. Following its referral to a joint parliamentary committee, an arduous two-year period of scrutiny culminated in December 2021, yielding a meticulously scrutinized and modified PDP Bill.
However, the trajectory took an unforeseen turn in 2022 when the government withdrew the PDP Bill, attributing the decision to compliance-related considerations. This development was succeeded by the unveiling of the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill shortly thereafter, following rigorous formulation. Garnering the cabinet's endorsement in July, the bill cleared its passage for presentation during the ongoing monsoon session.
As India stands at the cusp of enacting its maiden legislation expressly dedicated to preserving the sanctity of personal data, the nation heralds a new era of digital security and privacy, poised to empower its citizens in an increasingly data-driven landscape.
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