Title: Data protection and privacy in the data-driven public welfare in India

Authors: Nadha Noureen C.K.

Addresses: Centre for Political Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, 110067, India

Abstract: The study maps the data regulatory landscape in India against the backdrop of an increasingly data-driven public welfare sector and the growing incidence of data risks. It examines how governments at different levels draw a balance between improving welfare delivery processes by harnessing data and protecting citizen rights from probable risks inhered in the processes. Identifying data-driven welfare initiatives, namely Samagra (Madhya Pradesh), Bhamashah Yojana (Rajasthan), Samagra Vedika (Telangana) and family information data repository (Haryana), the study conducts a policy analysis to assess the data protection standards in place in India. Global privacy standards like GDPR, OECD Privacy Guidelines, etc., are used for a comparative evaluation. Findings reveal a significant trade-off between efficient data-driven governance and the protection of rights, emphasising the need for robust regulations. The study calls for a balanced approach to data privacy and the public good, urging critical discourse on privacy rights within legitimate/public data drives.

Keywords: data; databases; data regulation; public welfare; data privacy; data protection.

DOI: 10.1504/EG.2025.148250

Electronic Government, an International Journal, 2025 Vol.21 No.5, pp.505 - 522

Accepted: 06 Sep 2024
Published online: 01 Sep 2025 *

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