The much anticipated Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019(“Bill“) finally gathered the Cabinet’s approval on December 04, 2019, therefore setting the stage for it to be tabled in front of the Parliament in the current winter session.
The Bill first gained momentum a year ago and the earlier avatar of the Bill was drafted by the Sri Krishna Committee, accompanied by a detailed report addressing the framework of data protection in India, which was subsequently made public by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology on July 27, 2018.
In the current global concern about data security, it is imperative for India to have comprehensive legislation with stringent data protection measures in place. Moreover, the Bill has since assumed immense significance as it would imply a serious overhaul of data security practices adopted by various businesses in India.
The final form of the Bill that was presented to the Cabinet for approval has not been revealed to the general public, however the Government has engaged in several consultations with various stakeholders in the interim and it is expected that the Bill will both be adequate and in line with the global standards of data protection.
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