CCI and MeitY Agree Consultative Approach to Align India’s Data-Protection & Competition Rules

The Competition Commission of India and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology have agreed to adopt a consultative, co-ordinated process to handle matters that fall under both the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023, and the Competition Act, 2002, officials said after a high-level meeting on Thursday.

CCI Chairperson Ravneet Kaur and MeitY Secretary S. Krishnan led the talks, which included senior officers from both agencies.

The two sides discussed the rapid expansion of the digital economy and agreed that regular interaction and information-sharing are needed to prevent jurisdictional conflicts when data-governance and competition issues intersect.

Steps and Shared Priorities

Officials said the meeting featured presentations on key provisions of the DPDP Act and the Competition Act and on CCI work in digital markets. The CCI reiterated its readiness to work closely with MeitY, noting that coordinated regulation will help protect consumers, foster innovation and maintain market resilience.

The move follows recommendations from the Standing Committee on Finance, which in a report tabled on August 11 urged the CCI and sectoral regulators, including the Data Protection Authority and the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, to proactively identify overlaps and improve inter-regulatory harmony.

The committee also advised the CCI to factor non-price consumer welfare measures such as data privacy and service quality into its enforcement priorities.

Why it Matters?

With data now central to services and competition in digital markets, conflicting regulatory action could create uncertainty for businesses and consumers.

Coordinated policy and enforcement can help avoid duplicate probes or contradictory remedies, a concern flagged by the corporate sector and other ministries during Committee hearings.

The DPDP Act was passed in August 2023 but its administrative rules are yet to be notified; how those rules are framed will affect the scope of coordination.

Officials said future work will include mapping touchpoints between the two laws, engaging the Data Protection Authority once its structure is finalised, and building protocols for joint reviews where needed.

Next Steps

Both sides resolved to maintain regular consultations and to establish mechanisms for early engagement on cases or policy measures that raise cross-cutting competition and data-protection questions.

Observers will watch how that coordination shapes enforcement in matters such as platform conduct, data-driven mergers, and digital consumer protections.

The CCI-MeitY compact is an early attempt to stitch together India’s fast-evolving digital rulebook. If implemented effectively, it could reduce regulatory friction and produce more coherent outcomes for firms and users operating in data-intensive markets.