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Congress person Rahul Gandhi connected Monday (April 6, 2026) raised concerns implicit India's information sovereignty and asserted that the state should beryllium starring the planetary tech race, but alternatively it is being kept successful the acheronian astir however its information volition beryllium protected.
The Leader of Opposition successful the Lok Sabha said India's information belongs to its radical and successful the AI economy, it tin beryllium 1 of its biggest strengths — to physique AI, turn companies, and make jobs.
"So I asked the authorities immoderate important questions astir the caller commercialized woody with the U.S.:- What does 'reducing barriers' with the United States mean for our data? Will our wellness data, fiscal data, and authorities databases enactment successful India? Can India inactive necessitate overseas companies to store information present and usage it to physique our ain AI?" Mr. Gandhi said successful a station connected his WhatsApp channel.
"Every question connected our information sovereignty, wellness data, AI, and section information retention gets the aforesaid treatment: 'framework', 'balance', 'autonomy' - large words, zero specifics," the erstwhile Congress president said.
The authorities refuses to archer the state what it is negotiating away, helium alleged.
"We should beryllium starring the planetary tech race, but alternatively we are kept successful the acheronian astir however India's information volition beryllium protected," Gandhi said.
People merit transparency and accountability regarding country's data, helium asserted.
"We merit to ain and usage our information to physique a amended future," Mr. Gandhi said.
In his question to the Minister of Electronics and Information Technology successful Lok Sabha connected April 1, Mr. Gandhi had asked astir the mode successful which the authorities reconciles its committedness nether the United States-India Joint Statement to trim barriers to integer commercialized with India's information localisation rules, cross-border information regulations and broader integer framework.
He had besides asked whether immoderate argumentation changes are projected to support regulatory autonomy; if so, whether these commitments could restrict India's quality to mandate section retention of captious data, bounds overseas entree to delicate integer infrastructure oregon modulate Artificial Intelligence (AI) present oregon successful the future.
Mr. Gandhi besides asked if the details of captious infrastructure specified arsenic fiscal systems, integer identity, wellness and payment databases, telecom networks and AI datasets, are affected and to what grade and if not, the reasons therefore.
He besides enquired astir the details of the safeguards ensuring these commitments bash not weaken India's quality to usage home information for indigenous Al development, home worth instauration and strategical integer autonomy peculiarly regarding information localisation, marketplace entree conditions, cross-border restrictions and exertion transfer.
In his written effect to the statement, Minister of State successful the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology Jitin Prasada said India has a vibrant IT ecosystem with revenues exceeding $280 cardinal and exports of $225 cardinal successful FY 2024-25.
It employs much than 60 lakh radical and therefore, integer commercialized is an important constituent of India's economy, helium said.
"India's Free Trade Agreements: Government of India is firmly committed to fostering and expanding integer commercialized partnerships with imaginable nations crossed the world. India has concluded 3 Free Trade Agreements with United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and the European Union, each of which includes a Digital Trade Chapter arsenic a cardinal component," Mr. Prasada said.
In these agreements, India has efficaciously safeguarded its interests portion securing marketplace access, helium said.
Mr. Prasada further said the India-US Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA), presently nether negotiations, seeks to foster a free, fair, and dynamic integer environment, enabling deeper collaboration successful the tract of Digital Trade.
"India and the United States person established a model for an interim statement that reflects some nations' shared committedness to fostering an open, and equitable integer commercialized environment," the Minister said.
This interim model charts a pathway toward achieving reciprocal and mutually beneficial integer commercialized guidelines arsenic a captious constituent of the India-U.S. BTA, helium said.
India has preserved its regulatory autonomy successful information governance, portion striking a cautious equilibrium betwixt advancing emerging technologies and promoting cross-border cooperation,Prasada said.
In nary way, specified agreements restricts India's quality to instrumentality measures for managing India's ain information wrong the established ineligible framework, helium asserted.
