Digital Personal Data Protection bill in Lok Sabha on Thursday
New Delhi: Telecom and IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw will introduce the digital personal data protection bill in Lok Sabha on Thursday, the government said in a notification. "Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw to move for leave to introduce a Bill to provide for the processing of digital personal data in a manner that recognises both the right of individuals to protect their personal data and the need to process such personal data for lawful purposes and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto. Also to introduce the bill," the notification said.
With the introduction, the bill will be a step closer to India having its first law on data privacy and data protection. The bill needs to be passed by both houses of Parliament. The ongoing monsoon session that began July 20 has been a tumultuous one, marred by disruptions and walkouts by opposition parties, over the violence in the northeastern state of Manipur.
People aware of the details said that the bill entails penalising private as well as government entities ₹250 crore per instance in case of a data breach, which can be raised to ₹500 crore by the Data Protection Board that will be constituted as the appellate body under the law. The penalties will be decided on a case-to-case basis, depending on the severity, extent of harm or loss, the scale and number of people impacted by the breach, and the clauses that have been specified in the bill, said people aware of the details. The Board will comprise mainly of professionals, as many as possible.
It will be an independent body, its powers will be specified in the law. It will recommend the penalties which can go up to ₹250 crore. If it recommends above that level up to ₹500 crore, Cabinet has to be apprised and it has to be
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