US welcomes Personal Data Bill withdrawal, says Piyush Goyal

India’s decision to withdraw the controversial Personal Data Protection Bill last month has been welcomed by the United States as the two countries have “shared interests”, said Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal. He was speaking after a bilateral meeting in Los Angeles with the United States Trade Representative (USTR) Katherine Tai and US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo on Thursday on the sidelines of the two-day Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) ministerial meeting.

“India is looking to have very contemporary and modern laws in the digital world, while maintaining high levels of data privacy, particularly personal data. The last law that had been placed before Parliament has been withdrawn and a more robust framework is proposed to be presented to Parliament. So, this was very much welcomed by the United States also, as it has been welcomed by businesses in India,” Goyal said.