Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella to visit India this month

 Microsoft Corp Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Satya Nadella will visit India later this month, company said on Thursday.

While company confirmed visit of top executive, it did t give details about dates and cities he is likely to visit.

"Yes, Satya Nadella, CEO, Microsoft, will be visiting India later this month to address customers, young achievers, students, developers and entrepreneurs," Microsoft said in response to an e-mailed query.

According to sources, Nadella will be on a visit to India from February 24-26. He is likely to visit Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru, and meet industry leaders and government functionaries during his visit, y said.

visit comes on heels of Indian-origin CEO recently voicing concerns over contentious Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) - Nadella had last month said what is happening is "sad" and he would love to see a Bangladeshi immigrant create next unicorn in India. His remarks had raised a furore in political circles.

In a statement issued by Microsoft on January 14, Nadella had said: "Every country will and should define its borders, protect national security and set immigration policy accordingly. And in democracies, that is something that people and ir governments will debate and define within those bounds."

India is a major market for Microsoft - tech titan has a significant presence in cities like Bengaluru and Hyderabad.

It is pertinent to mention here that US President Donald Trump is scheduled to visit India on February 24 and 25.

Nadella's visit comes at a time when Indian government is taking a strong position on issues like data localisation and tightening rules for e-commerce companies as well as social media platforms. India has so far resolutely stood its ground on se issues, refusing to bow to pressure from US companies.

Personal Data Protection Bill - which outlines rms for handling of personal data including processing by public and private entities - was introduced in Lok Sabha in December 2019 and has been referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee.

proposed legislation mandates processing of 'critical' personal data only in India. What constitutes critical data is to be tified by Centre, it says.

It has also proposed that sensitive personal data - like financial data, health data, sexual orientation, biometric or genetic data, trans status, religious or political belief/affiliation - can be transferred outside India with explicit consent, but will continue to be stored in India.

Prominent bodies like US-India Business Council (USIBC) and internet and mobile players' association IAMAI have flagged concerns on some of provisions in Bill, saying that se will impinge on privacy of Indian citizens and create challenges for businesses.

USIBC has said Bill contains several new provisions outside core issue of data privacy that raises serious concerns for private sector, particularly inclusion of requirements around n-personal data and social media intermediary liabilities.