The Opposition is questioning the introduction of the digital data protection bill as a money bill. However, government sources later clarified that the bill will be taken up as a normal one not as a money bill.

The Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2023, is set to be tabled in Parliament on August 3. The bill seeks to establish a robust framework for the protection of personal data in the digital realm.

The Opposition raised concerns about bypassing the Parliamentary procedure in the introduction and passage of the data protection bill.

How Did the Digital Data Protection Bill get classified as a Financial Bill suddenly? If this bill on passage is certified as a money bill by @loksabhaspeaker @ombirlakota which seems to be the intent of getting it classed as a Financial Bill then Rajya Sabha can not vote on it.… pic.twitter.com/u2xdvOz1Vj

— Manish Tewari (@ManishTewari) August 3, 2023

Congress MP Manish Tewari in a tweet said if the Speaker certifies the bill as a money bill, the Rajya Sabha will not be able to make changes to it.

Tewari said if the bill should be considered as a regular one and referred back to the joint Parliament committee.

Members of the Opposition have also said that the JPC report on the data protection bill was adopted without the introduction of the bill.

The Centre is all set to table the Digital Personal Data Protection bill in Parliament today, August 3, as per a Lok Sabha document.

The bill, aimed at safeguarding personal data, was approved by the Cabinet in July. It was initially introduced in Parliament on December 11, 2019, with the intention of ensuring the protection of private data belonging to individuals across the country. The bill outlines stringent provisions regarding data protection, data sharing, and data storage.

CNBC-TV18 obtained exclusive access to the draft of the bill, revealing significant changes and provisions aimed at safeguarding individuals' data rights, regulating data fiduciaries, or entities collecting personal data, and ensuring proper enforcement through a dedicated Data Protection Board.

First Published:Aug 3, 2023 9:25 AM IST