Draft DPDP rules prioritise India’s citizen-centric governance: PMO

New Delhi: India’s Draft Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Rules, 2025, emphasize the nation’s commitment to citizen-centric governance, with a focus on safeguarding personal data while promoting economic growth and inclusivity.

The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) highlighted this development in a statement on Tuesday, following Union Minister for Electronics and IT Ashwani Vaishnaw’s remarks on the draft rules.

According to the PMO, the DPDP rules aim to strike a balance between data protection and innovation, aligning with India’s broader vision of protecting citizens’ privacy without hindering the growth of businesses, especially startups.

Vaishnaw explained that the rules reflect India’s leadership in shaping global data governance frameworks, noting the country’s pragmatic approach that differs from more regulation-heavy international models.

Key Features of the Draft DPDP Rules

The draft DPDP rules focus on empowering citizens and ensuring that their personal data remains protected. The rules, which will operationalize the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, are designed to be simple and transparent, making it easier for every Indian—regardless of technical expertise—to understand and exercise their data protection rights.

One significant feature of the draft rules is the emphasis on obtaining verifiable consent from parents before processing the personal data of children. According to the new rules, a Data Fiduciary must ensure that the parent’s consent is verified using government-issued IDs or digital tokens linked to identity services like Digital lockers before any personal data of a child is processed.

Government’s Commitment to Data Protection

Vaishnaw highlighted that the government’s approach is aligned with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision, which stresses the importance of human-centric policies. At the recent United Nations Summit of the Future, Modi had emphasized the need for human-first approaches, a philosophy that is reflected in the design of the DPDP rules.

The draft rules are part of the government’s ongoing efforts to bring the Digital Personal Data Protection Act into operation, ensuring that every citizen’s right to privacy is upheld. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) released the draft rules last week and is inviting feedback from the public via the MyGov portal until February 18, 2025.

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Finalizing the DPDP Rules: A Step Towards Enhanced Data Privacy

Once finalized, the DPDP rules will bring into effect the comprehensive framework for data protection under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023. The government seeks to ensure that businesses, including small enterprises and startups, can thrive with lower compliance burdens while safeguarding personal data in a transparent and accountable manner.

This progressive approach highlights India’s commitment to ensuring that its citizens’ data is protected while also fostering innovation and growth in the digital economy.