DNA profiling Bill full of loopholes, violates privacy: Congress
New Delhi, Aug 26 : The Congress on Sunday said the DNA profiling Bill prepared by the Narendra Modi government was full of loopholes and would violate the right to privacy in its current form. It termed the proposed legislation as "ill-conceived" and an attempt by the government to "strengthen the conformity that surveillance breeds".
Congress Spokesman Abhishek Manu Singhvi said that the DNA profiling Bill was the latest in a series of attempts by the Modi government to "snoop and spy on ordinary citizens".
"The introduction of DNA Technology (Use and Application) Regulation Bill, 2018, in a hush-hush manner, in the recently concluded monsoon session of Parliament is another attempt towards this mala fide objective," Singhvi said.
"Surveillance breeds conformity. And this government is an absolute conformist government. The DNA bill is an attempt to strengthen this conformity," he added.
He said that "fearing backlash" from opposition in the Rajya Sabha, the government withdrew the bill after listing it in the business of the House, but then it notified it in the business of the Lok Sabha, where it has a majority, at late night on August 8 and introduced it the next day.
Singhvi clarified that the Congress party was not in principle against DNA profiling, but the government should first bring a comprehensive data protection law "encompassing issues pertaining to all the sectors and ministries" after wide public consultations.
"The DNA Database could be another Aadhaar-like database, without adequate protection and safeguards. DNA samples can reveal more intrusive information about a person and hence there is a greater risk of this information getting misused," Singhvi said.
The Congress leader pointed out that the A.P. Shah Committee on privacy has expressed its concerns on the issue of breach of privacy by DNA profiling.
"The Committee made several recommendations including ensuring safeguards against breach of data by the government, right of citizens against retention of data, notification and mandatory consent of data subject taken before sharing the data with third party, besides many. The bill does not seem to consider either of the recommendations," he said.
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Indian men's team clinches inaugural Kho Kho World Cup title after women's victory
New Delhi: The Indian men's team beat Nepal 54-36 in the final to win the inaugural Kho Kho World Cup title here on Sunday.
The Indian men's team title came after the women's side were also crowned the champions after defeating Nepal in the final.
The Men in Blue dominated the final against Nepal with captain Pratik Waikar and tournament standout Ramji Kashyap leading from the front.
Attacking first, an exceptional sky dive by Ramji Kashyap got Nepal's Suraj Pujara. Suyash Gargate then touched Bharat Sahu to give India a great start with 10 points in just four minutes.
Sky dives were the name of the game for the Men in Blue, and this ensured a bright start for the side in Turn 1, preventing the Dream Run for their opponents. At the end of the turn, the scoreline was 26-0 in favour of the Indians.
In Turn 2, Nepal were not able to match India's levels but did prevent the home side from going on a single Dream Run.
Aditya Ganpule and skipper Pratik Waikar carried the team through this turn, and despite regular touches from the likes of Janak Chand and Suraj Pujara, India carried a 26-18 lead into the second half of the clash.
India were in their stride in Turn 3, displaying unwavering confidence throughout. Captain Pratik Waikar shone on the mat with multiple sky dives, and with the support of Ramji Kashyap, another star of the tournament.
Aditya Ganpule was also at his finest, and the home team's collective effort took the score to 54-18 entering the final turn of the match -- and the tournament.
Nepal fought hard in Turn 4 in their bid to come back against India. But the defenders, once again led by Pratik Waikar and Sachin Bhargo proved too strong. Mehul and Suman Barman were equally impressive.
India showcased their dominance throughout the tournament, beginning with convincing victories over Brazil, Peru and Bhutan in the group stages. Their momentum continued through the knockout rounds, where they outclassed Bangladesh in the quarterfinals before overcoming a strong South African side in the semifinals.
MEN'S & WOMEN'S KHO KHO TEAM WON THE WORLD CUP
— SPORTS ARENA🇮🇳 (@SportsArena1234) January 19, 2025
Men's Kho Kho Team won the title defeating 🇳🇵 54-36.
Women's Kho Kho Team clinched the World Cup title defeating 🇳🇵 74-40. pic.twitter.com/9ruJ79IKJ6
