Ahead of Parliament monsoon session, Centre calls for all-party meeting on July 19

On Wednesday, the Centre approved a draft of the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, effectively paving the way for India's first privacy law. The proposed legislation is likely to be tabled during the upcoming monsoon session of Parliament.

The central government has called for an all-party meeting on July 19, ahead of the Parliament monsoon session that will commence on July 20 and will continue till August 20. The session is expected to be stormy as the Opposition parties were closing ranks to put up a united front against the Narendra Modi-led BJP in view of the Lok Sabha elections next year. 

On Wednesday, the Centre approved a draft of the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, effectively paving the way for India's first privacy law. The proposed legislation is likely to be tabled during the upcoming monsoon session of Parliament.

Under the proposed legislation, individuals and organizations would be required to obtain consent before gathering personal information. Additionally, severe penalties of up to Rs 500 crore would be imposed on individuals and companies who fail to prevent data breaches, which encompass accidental disclosures, unauthorized sharing, manipulation, or destruction of personal data.

The Narendra Modi-led government had approved the draft of the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Bill 2023. The monsoon session comes at a time Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a strong pitch for a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and amid moves to step up consultations on the issue.

The upcoming session is anticipated to begin at the old Parliament Building before transitioning to the newly inaugurated building, led by Prime Minister Modi on May 28. The Parliament's monsoon session in 2023 is scheduled to span 23 days, comprising 17 sittings in total.