6 min readConcept sheetActs, policies and concepts MCQs
Data and governance
Governance runs on data: to plan, target and audit schemes. Data governance sets the rules: open where safe, protected where personal, accurate always.
Open data portaldata.gov.in, under NDSAP 2012
Personal data lawDigital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023
Privacy a fundamental rightK.S. Puttaswamy judgment, 2017
Official statisticsMoSPI; NSO formed in 2019 (CSO + NSSO)
Key laws and policies
| Instrument | Year | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Information Technology Act | 2000 | Legal recognition of electronic records and signatures; defines cyber offences |
| Right to Information Act | 2005 | Citizens can request information held by public authorities |
| National Data Sharing and Accessibility Policy (NDSAP) | 2012 | Proactive release of non-sensitive government data; led to data.gov.in |
| Aadhaar Act | 2016 | Unique identity for targeted delivery of subsidies, benefits and services |
| Puttaswamy judgment (Supreme Court) | 2017 | Right to privacy held to be a fundamental right |
| Digital Personal Data Protection Act | 2023 | Consent-based processing of digital personal data; sets up the Data Protection Board of India |
How data improve governance
- Targeting: identifying beneficiaries and paying them directly (Direct Benefit Transfer).
- Monitoring: dashboards track schemes, budgets and outcomes in near real time.
- Evidence-based policy: surveys and administrative data show what works.
- Transparency and accountability: published data let citizens, media and auditors check performance.
Four key ideas
Open dataData anyone can use, reuse and share, ideally free and machine-readable. Personal and sensitive data are excluded.
Data protectionPersonal data used only with consent and for a lawful purpose. Under the DPDP Act, the person is the data principal and the body processing the data is the data fiduciary.
Big dataData sets too large or fast for ordinary tools, described by the 3 Vs: volume, velocity, variety.
Data qualityUseful data are accurate, complete, timely and consistent. Poor data lead to poor decisions.
How NET asks this: match an Act or policy with its year or purpose (RTI 2005, NDSAP 2012, DPDP 2023), or pick the correct statement about open data, privacy and big data.
Typical MCQ: “Under the DPDP Act 2023, who is the 'data principal'?” The individual to whom the personal data relate. The body that decides how the data are processed is the data fiduciary.
Typical MCQ: “Which policy led to the open government data portal data.gov.in?” The National Data Sharing and Accessibility Policy (NDSAP), 2012.
Principal = the person; fiduciary = the holder who keeps that person's data in trust.