Even govt will be held accountable for data breach, says govt source
New Delhi(PTI): The Digital Personal Data Protection Bill will also hold the government liable in case of a data breach, a government source said on Saturday. The source said that the bill will only cover aspects around digital data as the Ministry of Electronics and IT's mandate is to deal around digital and cyber space.
"The bill is mainly to make those entities accountable that are monetising data. In case of data breach even the government is not exempted," the source said.
The draft Digital Personal Data Protection Bill has exempted certain entities notified as data fiduciaries by the government from various compliances, including sharing details for the purpose of data collection. The draft has come up with various provisions to ensure data handling entities collect data with the explicit consent of individuals (or data principals) and use it only for the purpose for which it has been collected.
The draft has proposed a penalty of up to Rs 500 crore in case data fiduciaries or entities processing data on their behalf violate any provision of the bill.
"The Central Government may by notification, having regard to the volume and nature of personal data processed, notify certain Data Fiduciaries or class of Data Fiduciaries as Data Fiduciary" to whom the certain provisions of the Act shall not apply, the draft said.
The provisions deal with informing an individual about the purpose for data collection, collection of children's data, risk assessment around public order, appointment of data auditor, among others.
The bill proposes to exempt government notified data fiduciaries from sharing details of data processing with the data owners under the "Right to Information about personal data".
The source said that there has been frivolous applications under the Right to Information Act which overburden government departments and therefore the government-notified entity has been exempted from RTI clause.
Elaborating on rule to allow data transfer outside India, the source said data transfer and storage in other countries will be done based on mutual agreement and recognition of each other.
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Kerala polls: ‘People rejected 10 years of misrule’, says AICC gen secy
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): AICC General Secretary K C Venugopal on Monday said the Congress-led UDF’s sweeping victory in the Kerala Assembly polls was a clear verdict against the “arrogance”, corruption, and nepotism of the CPI(M)-led LDF government headed by CM Pinarayi Vijayan.
Addressing a press conference as counting of votes for all 140 Assembly constituencies neared completion, Venugopal said the outcome reflected public anger against what he termed “10 years of misrule” by the Left government.
He claimed that Vijayan’s victory in his home constituency, Dharmadam, was “only technical”, alleging that the CM trailed the UDF candidate in the initial rounds of counting and failed to secure a majority in his own village.
“He just escaped. He suffered a setback even in his home turf. He was the only person who did not realise the people’s mood in this election,” Venugopal said.
Alleging that the CPI(M) and the LDF had resorted to “communal and opportunistic politics”, he further claimed that the ruling front had entered into a “secret understanding” with the BJP in a bid to retain power for a third consecutive term.
He said that when a government driven by power and arrogance attempts to align with anyone to stay in office, even its own cadre turns against it.
Referring to the results, Venugopal said that while the UDF expected rebel CPI(M) leaders, including K Kunhikrishnan in Payyannur, to impact the vote share, their victories came as a surprise.
Describing the UDF’s performance as a “historic victory”, he attributed it to coordinated teamwork, grassroots mobilisation, and the dedication of party workers, adding that the alliance accepted the mandate “with humility”.
Venugopal also credited Rahul Gandhi’s campaign guarantees, calling them a “trump card” that helped voters focus on real issues and reject what he described as the LDF’s “false narratives”.
He claimed that the Congress witnessed one of its lowest levels of rebellion in this election, which contributed to the alliance’s strong performance.
The senior Congress leader further alleged that the BJP managed to win two seats with the help of the CPI(M), and asserted that forces attempting to divide society on communal lines should “learn a lesson” from Kerala’s verdict.
“This is the real Kerala story,” he said.
On the question of the next Chief Minister, Venugopal said the party leadership would decide at the earliest after due consultations.
The counting of votes began on Monday morning for all 140 Assembly constituencies in Kerala, where the Congress-led UDF secured a decisive majority, defeating the CPI(M)-led LDF, which was seeking an unprecedented third consecutive term in office.
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) posts, "Thank you to my brothers and sisters in Keralam for a truly decisive mandate. Congratulations to every UDF leader and worker for a hard-fought, well-run campaign. As I said before, Keralam has the talent, Keralam has the potential… pic.twitter.com/6T4IZbEmp4
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) May 4, 2026
