"If not a permanent structure, the government may even set up a temporary group to review laws, which are very old and have become irrelevant in the present scenario. They are not market-friendly and impede competition," CCI Director General Amitabh Kumar said.
The proposal to set up a Competition Policy Oversight Council, he said, was sent to the Planning Commission working group on competition policy, to review the progress of National Competition Policy and assess the competition impact of new laws.
There are several policies and regulations of the central government that restrict or undermine competition.
"A review of such policies from the competition perspective should be undertaken with a view to remove their competition restricting effect," he added.
The working group, constituted by the Planning Commission, had proposed that the Council should be autonomous in nature as the competition policy is concerned with both private anti-competitive practices as well as government measures that affect the state of competition in markets.
The Oversight Council, working group had said, may consist of independent experts, representatives of the concerned ministries, state governments, industry and consumer welfare organisations among others.
