New Delhi

In a relief for Big Tech, the IT Ministry on Friday proposed a new draft of digital personal Data Protection Bill that will allow cross-border transfer of some users' data with "certain notified countries and territories".

The government in August withdrew the contentious Personal Data Protection (PDP) Bill that saw 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.

The new PDP Bill has also proposed harsh penalties of as much as Rs 250 crore on people and companies that fail to prevent data breaches.

The bill is now open for public consultation and the IT Ministry will hear views from the public until December 17.

On data storage, the draft Bill requires consent before calling data and said that "the storage should be limited to such duration as is necessary for the stated purpose for which personal data was collected".

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Similar to Europe's GDPR, the proposed Indian Bill will apply to companies operating in the country and to any entities processing the data of Indian citizens.