The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has taken up the role of being an Anti-profiteering body from Thursday even as the revenue department in the Finance Ministry assured the competition watchdog of all administrative support for next six months.
The administrative support has been promised to ensure the “smooth transition” of pending 400 cases to the CCI.
Steps for smooth integration
Towards this end, the revenue department has now said that all existing officers and staff subordinate to the Chairman and Members of the erstwhile National Anti profiteering Authority (NAA) will continue to work on “as is where is basis” for a period of six months with effect from December 1 and extend necessary assistance to CCI, sources said.
The Finance Ministry has been taking several steps to ensure smooth integration of NAA with CCI from December 1.
The NAA was set up on December 1, 2017 for a period of 2 years and its tenure was extended twice — now it has come to an end on November 30. It was established to ensure that the benefits of reduction in the GST rates and input tax credits are passed on to the consumers.
During the last five years, NAA has determined profiteered amount of ₹2240 crores, out of which around ₹700 crores have been deposited in the Consumer Welfare Funds or returned to the consumers or deposited with the High Courts/Director General of Anti-Profiteering (DGAP).