New Delhi, Aug 4 (IANS): IT industry’s apex body Nasscom on Friday said the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Bill is a significant leap forward for India to establish a robust framework for personal data protection and build the country as a trusted data destination.

The highly-anticipated bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha by IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Thursday.

According to Nasscom, ensuring comprehensive data protection is paramount for accelerating India’s digital economy and the bill strikes a harmonious balance between flexibility and data privacy measures.

"The Data Protection Bill has been a key ask from the technology industry and Nasscom has been working collaboratively with the government from the start to share insights and analysis on global regulations, the India differentiators and provided detailed submissions through the evolution of this Bill," Nasscom President Debjani Ghosh said.

The top industry body "appreciates the consultative approach that engaged all relevant stakeholders at each phase in defining the digital data protection bill and is really looking forward to India having its own Data Protection Bill".

"This is a giant step forward towards establishing India as a Trusted Innovation Partner for the world," said Ghosh.

The data protection bill specifies norms on management of personal data of residents in India and requires explicit consent from people whose data is collected and used. It also outlines practices for entities that collect personal data, how that data should be stored and processed to ensure there is no breach.

According to the government, the DPDP bill is certainly a legislation that will create a deep-lasting behavioural change and create high penalty punitive consequences for any or all platforms that misuse or exploit the personal data of any Indian citizen.