Centre withdraws Personal Data Protection Bill after joint parliamentary committee suggests 81 changes

New Delhi: The Centre on Wednesday withdrew the Personal Data Protection Bill from the Lok Sabha after a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) suggested as many as 81 changes to it.

The government will table new legislation for a comprehensive legal framework for the digital economy, Ashwini Vaishnaw, minister for communications, electronics and information technology, said.

The government will hold public consultations before tabling the new legislation.

The withdrawn bill is likely to be replaced by more than one law dealing with privacy and cyber security. The government may bring the fresh bills in the winter session of Parliament, sources said.

The government circulated among members a statement giving reasons for withdrawal of the bill which was introduced on December 11, 2019, and referred to the parliamentary panel soon after. The committee’s report was presented to the Lok Sabha in December 2021.

The withdrawal of the bill was made part of the supplementary agenda of the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.

The bill had proposed restrictions on the use of personal data without the explicit consent of citizens. It had also sought to give the government with powers to exempt its investigative agencies from provisions of the law, something that opposition MPs strongly objected to.

According to the statement circulated to Lok Sabha members, the bill was deliberated upon in detail by the parliamentary panel, which proposed 81 amendments and made 12 recommendations for a comprehensive legal framework for the digital ecosystem.

“Considering the report of the JCP, a comprehensive legal framework is being worked upon. Hence, , it is proposed to withdraw The Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019, and present a new bill that fits the comprehensive legal framework,” the statement said.

Published on: Wednesday, August 03, 2022, 11:12 PM IST