By TIOL News Service

NEW DELHI, JAN 15, 2025: THE Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology organised a consultation meeting with government officials and industry on the Draft Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Rules, 2025, offering a unique opportunity to contribute to India's data protection framework ahead of the public feedback deadline of February 18, 2025. The consultation was chaired by Ashwini Vaishnaw, Hon'ble Minister of Electronics and Information Technology, Railways, and Information & Broadcasting.

Industry leaders and policymakers deliberate on rules

The session brought together over 200 participants, including key government officials from various ministries, industry leaders, legal experts, and policymakers, to deliberate on the rules designed to support the implementation of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023. The consultation attracted representatives from various sectors such as technology, consulting, MSMEs, banking, and finance. Some notable organizations in attendance included DSCI, NPCI, PwC, Apple, Microsoft, Snapchat, Accenture, Zomato, Deloitte, KPMG, PhonePe, OpenAI, and others.

Trust-Based, Evolving Data Protection framework

Speaking at the event, Ashwini Vaishnaw, Hon'ble Minister for Electronics and Information Technology, Railways and Information & Broadcasting underlined the government's approach to the Digital Personal Data Protection framework and said "The objective that we had set for ourselves is to keep it simple, be principle-based rather than prescriptive, and let the law and rules evolve rather than casting everything in stone, trust-based approach rather than a cynical one". Hon'ble MEIT, Ashwini Vaishnaw also highlighted the importance of understanding the full scope of the framework, stressing that to gain a clear understanding of the framework for safeguarding personal data, it is essential to consider the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, and the Draft Rules, 2025, in conjunction.

The consultation session commenced with a presentation given by Bhuvnesh Kumar, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, outlining the key elements of the Draft Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Rules, 2025.

Striking a balance between innovation and regulation

S. Krishnan, Secretary, MeitY, emphasized upon the importance of fostering open and candid discussions. He highlighted the provision for submitting feedback through the MyGov portal, enabling participants to share their views anonymously, ensuring a broad spectrum of inputs. "We are here to listen and fine-tune any aspects that require further attention. Data protection is an issue that affects all of us, and it must be addressed inclusively and thoughtfully. More such sessions would be held soon." he stated

This Act and rules framework aim to strike the right balance between innovation and regulation, fostering a strong innovation culture while protecting the rights of citizens. He also mentioned that the digital infrastructure required for implementing the framework is being finalized.

Comprehensive feedback to shape final DPDP Rules

The consultation session invited feedback, comments, and inputs from various sectors covering key topics, including consent management, data principal rights, compliance frameworks, and mechanisms for cross-border data transfers, along with topics related to notices, consent, reasonable security safeguards, children's data, and breach reporting. The feedback gathered during the session will be incorporated into the final rules.

This consultation reaffirms the government's commitment to fostering public-private collaboration for the effective implementation of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, and ensuring seamless adaptation of India's digital economy to global standards of data protection.

Such industry contributions are expected to play a vital role in refining the rules, ensuring they meet the evolving needs of India's digital economy while safeguarding the rights of data principals.