Personal data protection Bill: JPC chief to seek extension

Newly appointed chairman of the committee overseeing the personal data protection bill, P P Chaudhary, along with Lok Sabha member Bhartruhari Mahtab, will move a motion on Friday in Parliament seeking extension of the time to present the report of the committee. “That this House does extend up to the first week of the Winter Session of Parliament, 2021, the time for presentation of the Report of the Joint Committee on the Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019,” a Lok Sabha communique said on Thursday. Chaudhary, who was earlier Minister of State for the Ministry of Law and Justice, Electronics and Information Technology, and Corporate Affairs, has been appointed chairperson of the joint parliamentary committee (JPC) on the Personal Data Protection Bill. The bill is much-awaited, especially given the surge in cases of cybercrime during the pandemic.