Government extends feedback period for Draft DPDP Rules to March 5, 2025

New Delhi: The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has announced an extension of the deadline for public feedback on the draft Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Rules until March 5, 2025. 

This move aims to allow more stakeholders, including tech companies, privacy advocates, and the general public, to voice their opinions on the crucial set of regulations designed to govern data privacy in India.

The draft rules, which were initially released for consultation, detail how personal data should be processed, stored, and protected within the country. They come as part of the implementation of the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, passed earlier by the Indian Parliament, to address the growing concerns over data privacy in the digital age.

Key areas of the draft DPDP rules include:

• Consent management: How organisations must obtain and manage consent for data processing.
• Data localisation: Requirements for storing personal data within India's borders.
• Data breach notification: Obligations for companies to notify authorities and individuals in case of data breaches.
• Rights of data principals: Enhanced rights for individuals regarding their personal data, including rights to access, correction, and deletion.

The consultation process has already seen thousands of submissions, reflecting a wide range of views from stringent protection measures to concerns about compliance burdens on small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

With this extension, stakeholders have until March 5 to submit their feedback through the designated portal or by email. The ministry has indicated that post-feedback, there will be a series of stakeholder meetings to further refine the rules before they are officially adopted.