New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party MP Raghav Chadha has raised concerns over telecom data policies in the Rajya Sabha on Monday, urging the government to ensure that unused mobile data is carried forward instead of being forfeited at the end of each day.

Chadha highlighted how current recharge plans offered by telecom companies impose daily data limits, leading to wastage of prepaid data.

"Telecom companies offer Recharge Plans with ‘Daily Data Limits’ like 1.5GB, 2GB, or 3GB per day, resetting every 24 hours. Any Unused Data EXPIRES at midnight, despite being fully paid for. You are billed for 2GB. You use 1.5GB. The remaining 0.5GB disappears as day ends. No refund. No rollover. Just gone. This is not an accident. This is policy. Use it unnecessarily, or lose it by midnight. That’s how mobile data works today. I raised this issue in Parliament - Why should data that we have paid for be FORFEITED? Unused data should carry forward into the next cycle, so consumers can use what they have already paid for..." he wrote in X.

He also outlined a set of key demands aimed at making mobile data usage more equitable. He called for the introduction of data carry-forward or rollover facilities for all users, arguing that unused daily data should be added to the next day’s limit instead of expiring at the end of its validity.

He further proposed that telecom operators provide an option to adjust the value of unused data in subsequent monthly recharges, ensuring that users are not repeatedly paying for data they do not consume. Additionally, Chadha suggested that unused data should be treated as a form of digital property, allowing users to transfer it to friends or family, much like money transfers.

The Aam Aadmi Party leader’s remarks come amid his broader push for consumer-friendly reforms, which he recently flagged during a debate in Parliament.

Earlier, Chadha had also targeted banking practices, calling for an end to penalties imposed on customers for not maintaining minimum account balances. He claimed that banks had collected around Rs 19,000 crore over the past three years through such charges.

"Rs 19,000 crore. That is what Banks collected in last three years just for not maintaining a 'Minimum Account Balance.' This is not from the rich. Not from big borrowers. From the poorest accounts in the system. Their crime? They didn't have enough money. A farmer misses the minimum balance - penalty. A pensioner withdraws money for medicine - Penalty. A daily wage worker falls short by a few hundred rupees - Penalty," he said.

"The poor keep money in banks for safety. Not to be quietly fined for being poor. Financial inclusion should protect small savings, not punish small balances," he added.

Describing such practices as unfair, Chadha termed the penalties as “legalized pickpocketing” and called for a more equitable financial system.

"In Parliament, I delivered a speech titled 'I Do Not Oppose, I Rise to Propose.' In Parliament today, I spoke about three everyday anxieties of ordinary Indians and proposed practical reforms. - Allow the optional Joint Filing of Income Tax Returns so married couples with uneven incomes are not penalised.- Restore Full Income Tax Exemption on Disability Pensions for all wounded soldiers, not only those invalided out of service.- End penalty charges on bank accounts for not maintaining a minimum account balance. I rose to propose solutions that make the system fairer, more humane and more just," he said in a post on X.