DPDPA looks different in Sector V than it does in Howrah.
DPDPA, 2023 exposure varies sharply across West Bengal's industrial clusters — Sector V/New Town IT-ITES and BPO firms, the Howrah engineering and foundry belt, North Bengal's tea gardens, and Burrabazar's wholesale trading community each face a different practical starting point. DRMLAW LLP runs gap assessments and DPO-as-a-Service engagements from our two Kolkata offices.
FAQ
We're a small jute or leather exporter in Howrah — does the DPDPA even apply to us?
The DPDPA, 2023 applies to any entity processing digital personal data in India, regardless of size — there is no MSME carve-out. For most Howrah-belt manufacturers, the practical starting point is workforce data (biometric attendance, PF/ESI, contractor records) rather than customer data.
Our Sector V BPO already has GDPR/ISO 27001 certification — isn't that enough?
It covers a large share of the technical-safeguards work, but the DPDPA has India-specific obligations GDPR and ISO 27001 don't map onto directly — the Section 5 notice format, consent-manager architecture, and Section 8(6) breach intimation to the Data Protection Board of India specifically.
Do biometric wage-disbursal systems on tea estates count as personal data under the DPDPA?
Yes — biometric identifiers and wage records tied to an identifiable worker are personal data under the Act. The more common gap is the absence of a written data-processing agreement with the third-party payroll or biometric vendor.
Can DRMLAW serve as our statutory DPO if we're based outside Kolkata but in West Bengal?
Yes. DPO-as-a-Service engagements run remotely for clients across West Bengal and Eastern India, with in-person sessions at our Kolkata offices or client site where useful.
Continue to the full page at https://www.drmlaw.in/technolegal/dpdpa/kolkata