Latest News | Govt to Hold Wider, Focussed Consultation with Industry Bodies on DPDP Rules: Vaishnaw

New Delhi, Jan 14 (PTI) Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Tuesday said the government will hold wider and more consultation meetings with industry bodies on the draft data protection rules.

The government held its first consultation meeting with industry representatives on draft Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Rules 2025.

Also Read | Maharashtra RTE Admissions 2025: Registrations Now Open at student.maharashtra.gov.in; Follow These Steps to Apply.

"A lot of suggestions have come from digital platforms. We will now start focussed consultation process with various industry organisations. We want consultation to be very extensive," Vaishnaw said.

According to an official statement, the consultation attracted representatives from various sectors such as technology, consulting, MSMEs, banking, and finance. Some notable organisations in attendance included DSCI, NPCI, PwC, Apple, Microsoft, Snapchat, Accenture, Zomato, Deloitte, KPMG, PhonePe, OpenAI, and others.

Also Read | What Are QR Code Scams? How Can You Spot Fake QR Code and Be Safe From Scammers?.

Vaishnaw in the meeting 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 DPDP Act, 2023, and the Draft Rules, 2025, in conjunction, the statement said.

Ministry of Electronics and IT Secretary S Krishnan 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," Krishnan said.

According to sources who attended the meeting, industry players relaxed the rules for the processing of data and other compliances under the DPDP Act 2023.

During the meeting, government officials assured the industry of extensive consultation on the rules and may even extend the February 18 deadline if required to ensure wider participation.

During the meeting, representatives of companies and organisations even pitched for passing the burden of verifying data on users of digital platforms like social media, e-commerce, gaming, etc, instead of putting obligation on the companies.

"Meeting participants largely asked for relaxation of the compliance burden on digital firms under the DPDP Act. There was clarity also sought for finer implementation of the rules," a source who attended the meeting said.

Another source said there was a suggestion that the government work on campaigns with the industry to educate people, especially those in rural areas, about the rules and need for consent.

"A representative asked that a timeline should be fixed for digital platforms to process or reject data in case consent is not received as per the rules," the source said.

The DPDP 2025 drafted by the government provides for the manner of implementation of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023.

The draft rules are open for public comment for 45 days till February 18.

These rules have also spelled out a framework for setting up the Data Protection Board -- the authority that will function in digital mode as per the DPDP Act 2023.

The rules have clarified the process that should be undertaken for processing data of children where the entities are required to adopt technical and organisational measures to ensure that verifiable consent of parents is obtained for processing personal data of a child.

The DPDP Act 2023 has provisions to impose penalties of up to Rs 250 crore on data fiduciaries. The Act provides for graded financial penalties in case of violation of the Act and the rules.

The quantum of penalty would depend upon the nature, gravity, duration, type, repetitiveness, efforts made to prevent breach, etc.

Further, significant data fiduciaries have higher obligations under the Act and rules, while a lower compliance burden is envisaged for startups.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)