Deepak Anurag, a retired Deputy Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), on Monday assumed charge as a Member of the Competition Commission of India (CCI), the country’s competition watchdog.

He was sworn in as Member CCI by Ravneet Kaur, Chairperson, CCI in the capital.

“Smt. Ravneet Kaur, Chairperson, Competition Commission of India, has sworn in Sh. Deepak Anurag as Member, CCI on 09.10.2023”, said a CCI post on platform X, formerly Twitter.

Last month, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved the appointment of three new Members to the CCI.

The three new Members were Anil Agrawal, former Director General of Police and former Additional Secretary at the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT); Deepak Anurag, retired Deputy CAG; and Sweta Kakkad, an advocate.

Of these three new Members, only two —Sweta Kakkad and Anil Kumar Agrawal—were sworn in last month by the CCI Chairperson. Now Anurag has been sworn in on Monday.

With these three appointments, the Centre has ensured that the lack of quorum issue affecting the watchdog’s functioning over the last 11 months has been addressed. 

CCI plays a crucial role in an open economy structure that India has adopted. 

As a watchdog, it promotes fair competition and prevents anti-competitive practices in the Indian market.

The Corporate Affairs Ministry had on January 23 this year, invited applications for the three CCI Members posts and kept the last date for submitting applications at March 9. However, in April this year, the last date for receiving applications was extended to May 1. Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud-led Panel had shortlisted candidates in May 2023 for the three CCI Members’ posts.

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