---
title: "Section 1: Short title and commencement"
url: https://dpdp.myndsolution.com/wiki/act/section-1-short-title-and-commencement/
description: "Section 1 of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (Short title and commencement). Official text verbatim, in force since 13 november 2025, with…"
kind: act-section
updated: 2026-09-09
official_source: https://www.meity.gov.in/static/uploads/2024/06/2bf1f0e9f04e6fb4f8fef35e82c42aa5.pdf
text_type: official-text-plus-interpretation
publisher: MYND Integrated Solutions
license: Official Government of India texts are reproduced verbatim (public domain / open government data). Interpretation is CC BY 4.0, MYND Integrated Solutions.
disclaimer: Not legal advice. Official text prevails over any interpretation.
html_version: https://dpdp.myndsolution.com/wiki/act/section-1-short-title-and-commencement/
---
# Section 1: Short title and commencement

*The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (No. 22 of 2023), Chapter I: PRELIMINARY. In force since 13 November 2025.*

## Official text

- **(1)** This Act may be called the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023.

- **(2)** It shall come into force on such date as the Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, appoint and different dates may be appointed for different provisions of this Act and any reference in any such provision to the commencement of this Act shall be construed as a reference to the coming into force of that provision.



## Interpretation in plain English (not legal advice)

> This is a plain-English interpretation of the official text, prepared by the DPDP Wiki editorial team. It is not the law and not legal advice, and it may be incomplete or wrong. Always rely on the official text of the Act, the Rules and the notifications, and take advice from a qualified professional for your situation.

Section 1 establishes the official name and commencement framework for India's primary personal data protection statute. It states that the law is officially called the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023.

The provision also gives the Central Government the authority to decide when the Act takes effect. Instead of the entire law becoming active at once, the Central Government can issue notifications in the Official Gazette setting different dates for different sections to come into force.

Because the law allows a phased rollout, any mention within a specific section about the "commencement of this Act" refers strictly to the exact date that specific provision becomes effective, rather than the date the law was passed or when other parts took effect.

### Key points

- The official title of the law is the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 [(1)].
- The Act takes effect on the date or dates designated by the Central Government through an Official Gazette notification [(2)].
- The Central Government is authorized to appoint different enforcement dates for different provisions of the Act [(2)].
- Any statutory reference to the Act's commencement within a particular provision means the exact date that specific section comes into force [(2)].

### Common misreadings

- The entire Act does not automatically come into force simultaneously; different provisions can take effect on different dates.
- A reference to the commencement of the Act does not mean the date the law was enacted, but rather the specific date the particular provision is brought into force.

*Interpretation prepared 2026-09-09 from the official text only; the official text prevails.*

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Cite as: Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, s. 1. Official source: https://www.meity.gov.in/static/uploads/2024/06/2bf1f0e9f04e6fb4f8fef35e82c42aa5.pdf