‘Data Protection, National Research Foundation Bill extremely important, Opp should have taken it seriously’: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had some scathing remarks about the manner in which the Opposition conducted itself. The Prime Minister also lambasted them for their failure to have a proper discussion on some of the most important bills of this monsoon session. “In the last few days, this parliament saw many bills being presented…like the Data Protection bill, NDRF bill…many such important bills have been passed,” said Prime Minister Modi. “The National Research Foundation bill that was presented, would have given a direction to the hopes and dreams of this nation’s youth. It was formulated with the vision of making India a global force in science, and yet the opposition had problems with it,” he continued. “The Digital data protection bill which was presented here was focussed on that one single subject which is in the heart and mind of the youth of this country. The future is technology-driven. Data is often referred to as the second oil, or the second gold. Because of all of this, these bills needed a strong discussion from the opposition. However, because politics is of utmost importance for you, you couldn’t even manage to do that,” said the Prime Minister, while lambasting the Opposition. “Today, India’s youth is mesmerising the world with the numerous startups they have established, companies from all across the world are investing in India in record numbers. Indian exports are touching new heights,” the Prime Minister added. The Anusandhan National Research Foundation Bill, 2023, which was approved by the Lok Sabha earlier this week made a significant stride in nurturing a research and innovation-centric environment within India’s educational establishments. This legislation aimed at creating a fund of Rs 50,000 crore with the purpose of initiating, nurturing, and advancing research and development (R&D) activities across universities, colleges, research institutions, and R&D labs throughout the country. On the other hand, the DPDP or the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2023 is the first bill of its kind that sets a comprehensive set of guidelines on how tech businesses deal with user data and content. It also sets guidelines that would ensure data of citizens does not get leaked because of careless handling.