DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA JOURNALISM OF COURAGE SATURDAY, JANUARY 4, 2025, NEW DELHI, LATE CITY, 20 PAGES BY UNNY Draft rules released, Govt brings back localisation of personal data SOUMYARENDRA BARIK NEW DELHI, JANUARY 3 DATA LOCALISATION, a bugbear for Big Tech that was removed from the Data Protection Act, 2023, made a comeback under thedraftrulesreleasedFriday.The draftrulescomemorethanayear after the Digital Personal Data Protection Act received the President’sassentinAugust2023. Data localisation relates to measures that result in restricting data flow within a jurisdiction’s boundaries. The draft Digital Personal DataProtectionRules,2025,proposethattheUniongovernment will specify the kind of personal data which can be processed by “significant data fiduciaries”, subject to the restriction that such personal data and traffic data related to its flow is not transferred outside the territory of India. A committee, to be formed by the government, will determine such data. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 CALLS AAP AN AAPDA (DISASTER), TELLS VOTERS TO EFFECT CHANGE PM targets Kejriwal in poll opener: I built homes for people, not a Sheesh Mahal AAP chief hits back with remarks on PM clothes, travel expenditure PM draws battlelines for Delhi polls: Modi model versus Kejriwal model DEVANSH MITTAL & NIRBHAY THAKUR MANOJ C G NEW DELHI, JANUARY 3 OPENING THE BJP’s campaign in Delhi for the Assembly elections likelynextmonth,PrimeMinister Narendra Modi Friday targeted Arvind Kejriwal, chief of the rulingAAP,sayinghecouldhavebuilt a “Sheesh Mahal” for himself but chose to give people, especially the poor, a home of their own. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 NEW DELHI, JANUARY 3 NEW DELHI, JANUARY 3 IN THE autumn of 2023, ThailandandMalaysiaextended visa-free entry to Indian nationals in the hope of attracting tourists from the country at a time when they were travelling overseas like never before. Slow post-pandemic economic recovery in China had evidently hit tourist inflows to Southeast Asian hotspots, while the Capital Friday, pitting his government model directly againsttheAAP’s,anyremaining doubts about who would lead it, and how, were settled. It was also a resounding reply to constant jabs by AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal at the BJP, asking it to reveal its CM face and ● vision for Delhi. The AAP was, in reality, “aapda (disaster)” for Delhi, Modi said. Listing the E PM Narendra Modi and Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar visit newly built flats for slum dwellers in Delhi on Friday. PTI More flights to Thailand and Malaysia as visa-free entry spurs Indian traffic SUKALP SHARMA THE BJP has so far not released anynamefortheDelhiAssembly elections — trailing both the AAP and Congress in this — let alone clarify whetheritwillhaveachief minister face or not. However, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually launched the BJP’s campaign for EXPLAINED BUSINESS AS USUAL `7.00 (`8 BIHAR & RAIPUR, `15 SRINAGAR) WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM SINCE 1932 India’srecoveryintermsof international passenger traffic was booming.Meanwhile,emerging destinations in other regions, particularly Central Asia and the Caucasus,alsopickedupinterms of interestamongIndiantourists. A year on, both Southeast Asian nations appear pleased with the results, so much so that they have decided to extend the visa-free entry facility for Indian passport holders further. Aviation and travel industry CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 In Manipur’s Kangpokpi, SP injured as mob attacks his office India raises Brahmaputra dam plan with China, objects to new counties SUKRITA BARUAH SHUBHAJIT ROY GUWAHATI, JANUARY 3 VIOLENCE ERUPTED in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district on Friday night as a mob attacked the office of the Superintendent of Police, resulting in the SP and others sustaining injuries. According to a senior police officer, the assailants allegedly pelted stones and hurled petrol bombs at the SP office in CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 NEW DELHI, JANUARY 3 DAYS AFTER Beijing cleared the construction of the world’s largestdamontheBrahmaputra river in Tibet close to the Indian border,raisingconcernsinlower riparian states India and Bangladesh, Delhi said Friday it has conveyed its concerns to the Chinese side over the mega hydel project. India has urged China to en- EXPLAINED DIPLOMACY & STRATEGY TSANGPO DAM, INDIA’S OPTIONS PAGE 9 sure that the interests of downstream states of the Brahmaputra are “not harmed by activities in upstream areas”. Delhihasalsolodgedaprotest CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Rohit told he’s not part of Test plans after tour of Australia, selectors to have chat with Virat VENKATA KRISHNA B CHENNAI, JANUARY 3 AHEAD OF the final Test at Sydney, the national selectors had informed captain Rohit Sharma that he wasn’t part of their red-ball cricket plans after the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy series. The Indian Express has learnt that this was followed by Rohit going into a huddle with coach Gautam Gambhir and chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar, and subsequently sitting out of the Sydney game. This unexpected turn of events has raised speculations about the 37-year-old captain calling it a day, which would mean that the Melbourne Test India coach Gautam Gambhir and players Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah ahead of the final Test against Australia in Sydney. ANI that Australia won by 184 runs would end up as his last game in India whites. Speaking for the CONTINUED ON PAGE 2