DPB members get no pension, no gratuity, no car, no house under new Data Protection rules

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has notified the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Rules, 2025, formally operationalising India’s data protection framework under the DPDP Act, 2023. Hidden in the fine print of the Fifth Schedule is a striking detail: Members of the Data Protection Board (DPB), including the Chairperson, will operate with lean entitlements — no official housing, no car, no pension, no gratuity, and no sitting fees.

According to the rules, the Chairperson will receive a consolidated salary of ₹4.50 lakh per month, while each Member will receive ₹4 lakh per month, both without the facility of house and car. The Fifth Schedule further clarifies that Board Members will not be entitled to pension or gratuity, not receive sumptuary allowances, and not be paid sitting fees for attending meetings.

The service conditions set a distinct tone for the DPB — structured more like a mission-mode digital body than a legacy statutory regulator. Even travel entitlements are benchmarked strictly to Central Government scales: Level 17 for the Chairperson and Level 15 for Members.

Reinforcing this lightweight design, Rule 20 states that the Board will function as a digital office, using techno-legal measures to conduct proceedings without requiring the physical presence of any individual.

Board decisions, orders and instruments can be authenticated digitally by the Chairperson or authorised Members. Meetings will be chaired by the Chairperson, require one-third quorum, and allow urgent matters to be decided by written circulation or through Chairperson-authorised action.