Best of BS Opinion: Data law, poor logic behind price control and more

India’s long wait for legislation protecting personal data; the poor logic in attempting price control; and the principles that should guide government policies. Pallav Nayak sums up the views.
 
Data is personal, and it shouldn't be used without the informed consent of individuals. It has been two years since the Supreme Court recommended legislation to protect privacy, and over a year since the Justice BN Srikrishna Committee submitted its recommendations but India still awaits clear laws on privacy, says our first edit.
 
It will be ill advised to put price controls on sanitary products, adult diapers and hand washes. Surveys suggest that ignorance and access to washing facilities (such as a toilet) play as big a role in usage as affordability, but fixing such problems may demand imagination rather than the hatchet of price controls, says our second edit.

 

The Supreme Court has quashed criminal proceedings against the managing director of a company that runs a hotel in New Delhi. The managing director was charged for an accident at the hotel for no reason other than his being the managing director. The top court’s judgment should be a lesson for enforcement agencies, writes Somasekhar Sundaresan.
 
All policies drafted by any government department should follow the test of principles laid down by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on helping wealth creation and ensuring ease of doing business and ease of living of citizens. The government should not focus on revenue generation and gathering but just on growth, writes Dhiraj Nayyar.

 

QUOTE OF THE DAY
 
"Make no mistake, this is a very British coup.”
- John McDonnell, Leader of Britain’s Labour Party, who was commenting after Prime Minister Boris Johnson moved to prorogue parliament earlier than scheduled in a move to prevent MPs from holding his Brexit plans to account.