The Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019, was withdrawn by the Centre on August 3 and a new Bill will be introduced in its place, reports Money Control.
The Joint Parliamentary committee’s members were informed by Minister of Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw of her decision to withdraw due to the 81 amendments and 12 recommendations made “toward a comprehensive legal framework.”
“Considering the report of the JCPGovt withdraws PDP 2019, to present new billHence, in the circumstances, it is proposed to withdraw ‘The Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019’ and present a new bill that fits into the comprehensive legal framework,” it stated.
The Bill was introduced for the first time in 2019, after which it was sent to the Joint Committee. A report from the Joint Committee was presented to Parliament in December 2021.
The latest version of the bill included both personal and non-personal data under its ambit, which would be dealt with by a Data Protection Authority.
The Bill’s previous mandate was limited to personal data, and the decision to include non-personal data in its purview was met with strong opposition.
The Chenab Times News Desk