The Centre on Monday said that the new draft of the data protection bill is being prepared to augment efficient usage of data since it would largely be used by the industry.

Speaking at the CII 'International Technology Summit 2022,' Dr. Rajendra Kumar, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), noted that the government has put in place a proactive approach to deal with emerging technologies and subsequent threat levels.

"The new Data Protection Bill is being prepared to augment efficient usage of data, with confidence that data would be protected while being used by the industry," he emphasized.

IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, in an interview with Sansad TV, has said that the drafting of the Data Protection Bill is nearly complete and it is expected to see the light of the day in Parliament during the next year's Budget session.

The government last month withdrew the contentious Personal Data Protection (PDP) Bill 2019 which has seen 81 amendments in the past three years, aiming to introduce a new, sharper bill that fits into the comprehensive legal framework and protects the data of billions of citizens.

At the summit, Vijay Rai, Chairman, CII Delhi Panel on Technology, said that the Indian economy is predominantly agrarian, and farmer distress may be addressed by way of tech such as GPS, GIS, location, and satellite data analysis.

"Also, the country can achieve better healthcare accessibility through digital connectivity; remote sensing, GIS, GPS, Sat communication can help in disaster management and risk mitigation," Rai added. (KB/IANS)