Govt Likely to Release Draft Data Protection Rules Within a Month: Vaishnaw 

The government is likely to release draft rules under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act within a month, union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Monday. 

The minister said the government has first worked on digital implementation of the Act and framed rules accordingly. 

"The framework is ready, and the draft rules for consultation are expected to be released within a month," Vaishnaw told reporters here. The minister said the final draft of the rules was reviewed last week and is expected to be in the public domain within a month. 

In June this year, Vaishnaw told reporters, as per the Indian Express, “Releasing the rules is among our top priorities. We had started working on the rules around December of last year, well before the Lok Sabha elections. Right now, the drafting of the rules is at an advanced stage, and we will shortly begin consultations. We won’t rush through with it.” 

While the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, was passed by Parliament last year, it is yet to be implemented. All enterprises that process personal data in India are subject to the act, which is India's first cross-sectoral law on the protection of personal data. To add to it, the bill also considers data fiduciaries responsible for protecting data security and notifying individuals if their data is compromised. Further, the consent of individuals should be obtained before processing their data, unless there are specific exemptions. 

The bill aims to improve the ease of doing business, simplify everyday life, and strengthen India's digital economy and innovation ecosystem. Another feature of the act is the penalty cause, where the penalty can be as high as Rs 250 crore. For example, the penalty for failing to notify the Data Protection Board and affected individuals in the event of a personal data breach can be up to Rs 200 crore. 

(With inputs from PTI)