![digital](https://img.etimg.com/thumb/msid-110279850,width-300,height-225,imgsize-4058,resizemode-75/digital.jpg)
The regulator is firming up a proposal to enhance its strength to strictly enforce regulations under the amended competition law of 2023, which has significantly widened the scope for oversight. On top of this, it is also planning to bolster its oversight of the digital market by adding quality manpower should the government come out with a new digital competition law and give it the oversight responsibility, said the person.
The emergence of complex areas such as digital technology and new ones like artificial intelligence have made it incumbent on the regulator to have adequate manpower – in terms of both quality and quantity – for effective oversight.
The regulator currently has 15 officers in its two anti-trust divisions, 10 in the combination wing, six each in the legal and research and trend analysis divisions, five each in economics and advocacy divisions and four in international cooperation division, among others, according to its website.
Leniency-plus framework
The regulator has received a “good response” to its leniency-plus and the new settlement and commitment regimes rolled out in recent months, said the person quoted above.
The so-called lesser-penalty plus or, more commonly, the leniency-plus regime, allows companies that are under probe for cartelisation to report other cartels and get their own penalties reduced. The regulations were notified in February. Good response to the framework means companies are coming forward with information to bust cartels.
This was launched to bust cartels and ensure fair competition in the economy.
Similarly, the settlement and commitment frameworks and regulations enable companies charged with anti-competitive conduct, including Big Tech, to approach the regulator to resolve the matter expeditiously, experts have said.
The commitment mechanism typically requires the applicant to propose commitments to address the anti-competitive concerns of the regulator.
M&A regulations
The authorities are also planning to introduce the merger control regulations, in sync with the amended competition Act, after the general election is over in early June, said the person quoted above.
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