Data protection bill: Prasad, panel members spar over draft report

Union minister for electronics and information technology Ravi Shankar Prasad on Monday clarified that the joint parliamentary committee examining the personal data protection bill is yet to submit its report, hours after Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said that panel members were yet to see a draft. Ramesh’s comment was in response to Prasad’s comments, quoted in The Hindu that “the select committee has given their report and have done a good job; Covid-permitting, in the next session I will like to push it”.“I am amazed. On March 8th I had been assured by Mrs Meenakshi Lekhi the Chairperson that the draft report will be circulated for comments by members. That is still awaited,” Ramesh said in response.Prasad then clarified that the report was yet to be finalised. “I appreciate their (the committee’s) hard work. I look forward to their final report so that the Parliament approves a Data Protection Law soon.”Ramesh’s party colleague and panel member Manish Tewari also hit out at the delays in the finalisation of the report. “The select committee finished it’s deliberations in December 2020. There is no final report for 6 months now. Any idea why @rsprasad? Truth is at times stranger than fiction,” Tewari wrote on Twitter.MORE FROM THIS SECTIONJama Masjid in New Delhi. (HT file photo)Ownership patterns prevent intervention to repair monumentsUnion IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad (File Photo/HT)‘Twitter got several opportunities to comply with IT Rules’: Ravi Shankar PrasadOn June 7, the state government extended the restrictions till June 16 with complete lockdown on June 12 and June 13, Hindustan Times reported.Kerala to ease Covid-19 lockdown from June 17. 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It then received an extension till the first week of the second half of the budget session. HT reported on March 9 that the panel was looking at another extension before finalising the report. The report is now likely to be submitted in the monsoon session.The committee has met various stakeholders as it debates far reaching reforms for personal data protection. It has also carefully analysed the bill that covers cross border transfer of data and the use of personal data by government and private companies. Provisions of the bill related to localization of data within the country and curbs on data sharing across borders have come in for criticism from global technology companies, but like many other countries in the world, India wants to ensure the data of its citizens is safe.SHARE THIS ARTICLE ONGet our daily newsletterEnter Email AddressSubscribeCloseTRENDING NEWSThe Twitter user left this message for her siblings.She asked sibling to wake her up, what they did has tweeple saying 'savage'Singer Aurora in conversation with Indian musician Vipasha Malhotra.Singer Aurora mesmerised with Indian musician’s Hindi cover of Runaway. WatchPosts shared by Yuzvendra Chahal and Dhanashree Verma have won people over.Yuzvendra Chahal or Dhanashree Verma: Who aced the Footwork Challenge? 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