An advanced-level course on ‘Economics of Competition Law and Policy’ for mid-career IES officers

CUTS Institute for Regulation & Competition (CIRC) under the aegis of Department of Economic Affairs, Government of India, organized a five days advanced level course on ‘Economics of Competition Law and Policy’ from 12th to 16th September 2017 in Jaipur, Rajasthan.

The course was organized to familiarise IES officers with competition law concepts of economics that facilitate competition laws. The participants were taught analysis of cases that involve anti-competitive activities through theory, case studies and simulation exercises. The aim of this course was to sensitize these officers about competition law, practices prohibited under the same and train them to utilize this information into their professions.

On the first day of the course, the participants registered themselves and a course kit comprising of a flash drive, details of the course, speakers, readings in the form of reports and literature related to the topics to be taught during the course was given to them. The course was inaugurated in the presence of Dr. Arvind Mayaram, Chairman CIRC and former Finance Secretary, GoI; and Mr. Nitin Desai, President Governing Council, CIRC and Former under Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, United Nations. The course was taught by eminent faculties like Dr. Geeta Singh, Partner Genetic Analytics, Ms. Neha Malhotra, an Economist with Nathan Associates Inc., Ms. Payal Malik, Economics Advisor to CCI and Member, Managing Committee CIRC, and Mr. P.K. Malhotra, Former Secretary, Ministry of Law & Justice.

A total of 17 interactive sessions were held in a span of five days, amidst which a half-day cultural outing at Nahargarh, Jaipur was also organized by CIRC. The valedictory and certificate distribution was conducted in the presence of Dr. Mayaram, Mr. Malhotra and Ms. Mala Dutt, Advisor, Department of Finance, GoI. The course got very good feedback from the participants and suggestions shared by them have been recorded. The participants found the course very helpful and sought for more workshops/training on specific topics within competition law.

International Conference on Future of Digital Economy: Need and importance of optimal regulation
Keeping in view the growing need for an enabling regulatory environment for the growth of the digital economy in India, CUTS International and CIRC organized an international conference on 11th August 2017 at The Claridges, New Delhi. The conference was directed at the ‘future of the digital economy’ and the need and importance of optimal regulation in the sector. The conference was also the introduction platform for CUTS International’s on going “DIGINOMICS” project. An amalgam of opinions from government, private and consumer forums, discussing regulations, problems faced in regulation and due to regulations, extent, consumer experiences, etc. made this conference a success. Attention was also brought on new-age businesses that are based on disruptive technologies and business models.

Orientation Programme for the 10th Batch of CIRC-NLUD’s Certificate & Diploma Courses on Competition Policy & Law
10th batch for CIRC-NLUD Certificate/Diploma Course in Competition Policy and Law was enrolled The Orientation and first-class on Markets and Competition 10th batch was held on 27th May at Indian Social Institute, Lodhi Road, Delhi.

The orientation class was chaired by Ms. Nidhi Maheshwari COO CIRC, where she spoke to the students about CIRC and the importance of competition law. An introduction to the course and its procedures was also given to the participants. The participants cleared their doubts about the course and its structure and the exam procedures with the CIRC staff.

Mr. Avinash Sharma, Panel Counsel, Competition Commission of India and Advocate-on-Record, Supreme Court of India took the first class for this course for Module 1 i.e. Markets and Competition. A total of 22 students attended the class. Broadly, the students were given an introduction to business laws in India, related economic concepts and the Competition Law and Competition Policy of India.

Latest Publication
Reinventing the idea of single part tariff for power distribution to domestic consumers: Does it make sense!, Modern Diplomacy, September 12, 2017.The external web link is https://goo.gl/TH5VNG

Abstract:
Prior to 1992, a single part tariff based on cost plus on the actual basis was in place in India’s power sector according to schedule 6 of the Electricity supply act 1948. Single part tariff, though outdated due to several issues, is being reconsidered by some of the regulatory bodies to bring in transparency to the system along with making it more accessible to the customer. This article explores the pros and cons of such a regulatory decision.

Ongoing Projects

CompIP Project
CUTS Institute for Regulation & Competition (CIRC) along with CUTS International is undertaking empirical-based research to advocate for constructive policy and regulatory reforms in the IPR regime in order to foster innovation and competition. This research is envisaged to facilitate the promotion of a balanced IP regulatory framework that promotes and advances technological innovations, resulting in benefits to consumers and producers in India. Currently, the CompIP research program is for a period of 3 years culminating in September 2018 and will provide a sustainable platform for discourse and discussions involving different stakeholders from industry, government, regulators, academia, media, etc.

During the first phase, CIRC organized the launch conference for this project in March 2016. A roundtable discussion on Growth of ICT Sector in India: Issues and Challenges pertaining to SEPs was organised on August 22, 2016, in New Delhi and was attended by government officials, CCI officials, industry players, academicians researchers and other experts in the field. For the second phase of the project, the competition team at CIRC will survey startups in two technology-based sectors where innovation and its protection will be the area for research. The team will analyze how much importance is given to the protection of intellectual property amongst startups, reasons, problems etc and would also conduct events to promote IPR protection in the sector. The second phase shall start in the year 2017 and a final report will be released in 2018. These events/activities attached to these two phases would include distinguished lectures by international experts, faculty development programs (FDP), policy dialogues, workshops, and field-based research in the area of IP and competition law.

Manipur Project
CUTS Institute of Regulation and Competition (CIRC) through its think tank Global Initiative for Sustainable Infrastructure (GISI) has undertaken a research assignment to test the feasibility of developing an integrated tourism hub at the Loktak Lake in Manipur through PPP (Public-Private Partnership) model. The proposed tourism hub will host independent and mutually beneficial facilities like exhibition halls, convention centers, banquet halls, auditoria, arena, financial center, hotels, food & beverage (F&B) outlets & retail services. In the surrounding vicinity of the hub, other facilities such as the traditional market for handicrafts, local food joints, ethnic wear stores, and other related cultural and traditional shops can be set up.

The project is envisioned to be developed through an optimum Public-Private Partnership model with support of viable gap funding if required. The proposed center can become a key facilitator in making Manipur a key destination in NER India under the MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, and Exhibitions) destination category.

Project Goals: The objective of the research is to assist the government of Manipur to establish an integrated tourism hub through PPPs which would create direct and indirect job creation for the people of Manipur through the following activities:

Odisha Project
The water and sanitation sector has several impediments marred when it comes to private sector participation. The constraints are from all stakeholders in the value chain such as supply side, demand side and from the community. While local bodies/gram panchayats face major problems in financing the projects for asset creation and service delivery, there is apprehension about private sector participation on a very sensitive social need. Fear of ownership, consumer perception of water service delivery as a free service is one of the major causes of concern. There are constraints because of political sensitivities and activism of select NGOs/CSOs on social vs. capital issue which makes it even harder for the entry of private players in this sector

Thus, there is a need to create a structured approach for enabling private investment in the sector, including training and capacity building for the state units. This research is an initiative to focus on identifying various PPP models and structures which can be successfully implemented in the water and sanitation sector. The pilot state identified for the study is Odisha. The study would majorly focus on rural and semi-urban centers with a cluster approach to provide for a minimum economic size of 50-75,000 population. However, as we enter the first phase, other states could be added depending upon the response of the respective governments.

The objective of the project will be the development of a sustainable and inclusive PPP model through the promotion of People’s first PPPs. The model will focus on the development of infrastructure assets and the delivery of associated services that specifically focus on the poor and the under-serviced sections of the society.

Research study on latent Power Demand assessment for the state of West Bengal
The demand projections made by discoms (Distribution Companies) are based on actual units consumed and a projected rate of growth of demand for each category of customer, based on past trends. They are made assuming the limitations of the existing distribution/transmission network. The latent demand from a population is left without service by the existing network, or from areas provided limited energy due to network limitations, do not figure in the demand projections. Another issue with the demand projections is that the power distribution utilities, due to flawed methodologies are not accounting the actual power consumption correctly, courtesy the faulty metering status and impairments arising due to improper feeder segregation.

CIRC will do a comprehensive study for the state of West Bengal to find out the following:
1. Regional power demand build up and drivers-split based on State-level basis
2. Assess the “Power deficit” and power demand-supply scenario for West Bengal
3. Understand the variable dynamics of power industry under changing the regulatory paradigm
4. Design a factor analysis framework to determine latent power demand through the identification of critical parameters and assigning the right weights.

Research study for Designing SDG Compliance Zero Waste Management Framework for Sikkim
The study will focus on the concept of total waste management in Sikkim and find out the modalities for PPP intervention in the same. It will also focus various technology options in the context of suitability and viability of waste generated there and the kind of private participation required. The complete project will be designed according to the state’s SDG plans and programs.

Research Study for Latent Demand Assessment for power in the state of West Bengal
The objective of this research assignment is to capture the actual demand for power in the state of West Bengal by assessing the lateral demand of the state through factorial and objective analysis. The project would study the demand centers for power in West Bengal and suggest alternative strategies to capture the data for their long term forecasting of power demand through a factor analysis tool.

Regional Inclusive Growth Project
The project aims to research and promote the role of the internet in promoting inclusive growth. Research on how digital tools and platforms can help consumers in facilitating goods and services at a much lower cost, as compared to conventional practices. The research would embed the set objectives of removing barriers, improving digital literacy and empowering the consumers.

The UNCTAD Project
The project aims to develop a novel toolkit as well as related training material for attracting and benefitting from investment in key SDG sectors through PPP and innovative financing mechanisms. The toolkit to be designed will help UNCTAD support government policymakers, investment promotion officials and academia to identify, design and implement effective investment policies that will increase the level of corporate investment in SDG related priority sectors and maximize the development contribution of such investments.

Case study research on social sector PPPs in India
The scope of work for this project would be twofold: part one would identify factors responsible for the slower introduction of PPPs in India at the national-level; part two would analyze five to ten case studies of PPPs in social sectors at the project-level, both at the national and sub-national level. Case studies would be identified from successful, and lessons and learnings would be drawn from select case studies from failed attempts of PPPs in the social sector.