What is Competition Commission of India (CCI)?
Competition Commission of India (CCI) is a statutory body of the Government of India
Responsible for enforcing the Competition Act, 2002, it was duly constituted in March 2009.
The commission is a quasi-judicial body which gives opinions to statutory authorities and also deals with other cases.
Consists of one Chairperson and six Members who shall be appointed by the Central Government.
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Functions and Role of CCI
To eliminate practices having adverse effects on competition,
Protect the interests of consumers.
Ensure freedom of trade in the markets of India.
To give opinion on competition issues on a reference received from a statutory authority
To undertake competition advocacy, create public awareness and impart training on competition issues.
To make the markets work for the benefit and welfare of consumers.
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Ensure fair and healthy competition in economic activities in the country for faster and inclusive growth and development of the economy.
Implement competition policies with an aim to effectuate the most efficient utilization of economic resources.
Effectively carry out competition advocacy and spread the information on benefits of competition among all stakeholders to establish and nurture competition culture in the Indian economy.
Is the Competition Act equally applies to public and private sector enterprises?
Recently Coal India Ltd (CIL) was found to be supplying lower quality of the essential resource at higher prices and placing opaque conditions in the contract about supply parameters and quality.
The CCI had therefore imposed a penalty of ₹591.01 crore on CIL.
Coal India argued that it operated with the principles of ‘common good’ and ensuring equitable distribution of the essential natural resource.
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The respondents pointed out that Coal India was a fully-government owned entity until its disinvestment in 2010.
The Supreme Court held that there was “no merit” in Coal India Ltd (CIL), a public sector undertaking, being excluded from the purview of the Competition Act.
Competition Act equally applies to public and private sector enterprises.
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