‘Will move dissent note in JPC on data Bill’

There is a view in Government that this law will add to the cost of compliance, says senior Congress leader

Senior Congress leader says he will be submitting a dissent note in the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on Personal Data Protection Bill against the clause that gives powers to the Union Government to suspend all or any of the provisions of this Act for Government agencies. Excerpts:

We are going to adopt the report on November 22. There will be dissent notes, but these will be decent notes. I must compliment Chairman P.P. Chaudhary. He has made every effort to bring together different points of views. He has been very democratic, collegial and consultative. I know there are senior people in this Government who do not want this Bill to come. There is a view in the Government, amongst some Ministers, that this law will add to the cost of compliance.

Yes. My dissent is fundamentally against Clause 35 and I will also be moving a qualified dissent against Clause 12. Clause 35, I would say, is the basic architectural flaw with the law. It gives sweeping powers to the Government to exempt any agency from the entire Act. The Government should pass a law in Parliament for the exemption for any of its agencies. I moved an amendment in December 2020 seeking this change. But that was not accepted.