As reported by ET on Friday, the conclusion of the report says, “The Committee, in no uncertain words stresses the urgent necessity for the early enactment of a robust and all-encompassing legislation that effectively safeguards citizens’ data and privacy”.
As the digital landscape continues to evolve rapidly, such legislation would serve as a crucial protective measure, ensuring the secure and responsible handling of personal information while instilling public confidence in the digital ecosystem, the report says. It is referring to the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill (DPDPB) which was cleared by the Cabinet last month and is likely to be tabled in the Parliament this week.
Delaying the implementation of such a comprehensive framework could potentially expose individuals to various risks and compromise the privacy rights of citizens, it further reads.
“Hence, the Committee strongly advocates for the immediate action of enacting this crucial legislation to protect the interests and rights of citizens in the digital age,” the report says.
ET had reported earlier that several opposition MPs had concerns regarding the report and had stage a walked out over it.
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Meanwhile, talking about the report, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the bill was not referred to the committee. “The committee had taken up the subject of ‘Citizens Data Security and Privacy’. The panel report that has been tabled today clearly states that the law on privacy should be enacted as soon as possible.”Rajeev Chandrashekhar, minister of state for electronics and information technology, also tweeted on Tuesday saying that no Bill including the proposed DPDPB can be referred to any committee unless it is done so by the Parliament.
In turn, the Bill can only be referred to the committee after the Cabinet-approved Bill is introduced in the Parliament, he said.
DPDPB has not been introduced in the Parliament and so, question of considering it in the committee doesnt arise, Chandrashekhar said, tagging the Prime Minister’s Office and IT Committee chairperson Prataprao Jadhav.
John Brittas, MP, CPI-M, told ET, “The report revolves around DPDPB that has been approved by the Cabinet but not introduced in the House or referred to the Committee. Which is why Opposition members in the Committee staged a walkout over that report prepared before seeing the final Bill, which was tabled today.”
Brittas has given a dissent note on the report.
