Joint Parliamentary Committee Wants More Time To Submit Data Bill Note

The joint parliamentary committee (JPC) studying the Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019 has sought an extension till the second week of the monsoon session of Parliament to submit its report on the landmark legislation. The committee, headed by BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi, was supposed to submit the report by end of the budget session, which concluded on Monday.

After the bill was introduced in Parliament in December last year, it was referred to the joint parliamentary committee, which had asked stakeholders to send their feedback by February 25. The committee had also expressed its willingness to allow stakeholders to express their concerns in person. However, the process to do so has yet to begin.

The legislation will require Indian as well as overseas companies operating in India to completely overhaul their data practices to ensure protection of personal data of individuals. ET had reported earlier this month that more than a dozen technology and business trade groupings from the US, Europe and Japan had joined the panel examining the bill to reconsider some of its clauses to protect the “privacy of Indian citizens” and “remove barriers” to the growth of the country’s economy.

—Sortiwa