Parliament Question: Digital Market Regulations

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CORPORATE AFFAIRS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2342 ANSWERED ON MONDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2025/ AGRAHAYANA 24, 1947

(SAKA) DIGITAL MARKET REGULATIONS QUESTION

2342. Shri Arup Chakraborty:

Will the Minister of CORPORATE AFFAIRS

be pleased to state:

(a) the measures taken by the Government to strengthen the competition framework after the anti-competition actions by the European Union and the US Department of Justice against Google and Meta respectively;

(b) the manner in which the Government is planning to align India’s digital market regulations with global standards to improve enforcement mechanisms against monopolistic practices by foreign tech firms;

(c) the specific measures taken/being taken by the Government to protect Indian digital platforms from potential anti-competitive actions by dominant global tech companies; and

(d) the timeline set for regulatory review and enforcement? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF CORPORATE AFFAIRS AND MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS. (SHRI HARSH MALHOTRA)(a) to (d) : The Competition Commission of India (CCI) is empowered under the Competition Act, 2002 to inquire into anti-competitive conduct by enterprises, including large technology firms. CCI inquires into conduct that may amount to anti-competitive agreement under Section 3 or an abuse of dominance under Section 4. Through its enforcement actions across sectors, including digital markets, the CCI ensures that markets remain competitive and contestable. The CCI has taken cognizance of alleged anti-competitive practices by big tech firms including major global tech firms and ordered investigation and where violations were established imposed monetary penalties along with cease-and-desist orders and other remedies.

Further, to address challenges in digital markets, the Competition

(Amendment) Act, 2023 introduced key reforms that empower the Competition Commission of India (CCI) to effectively regulate such markets by introducing inter-alia, a ₹2,000 crore Deal Value Threshold along with the Substantial Business Operations in India (SBOI) criterion to capture high-value digital market transactions that previously were not within the purview; settlement and commitment mechanisms for faster case resolution; inclusion of hub-and-spoke facilitators within cartel provisions; global-turnover–based proportional penalties.

In addition, the review of legislation, rules and regulation is a continuous process and based on the recommendations, suggestions, and learning outcomes, the Government undertakes appropriate measures to amend the same from time to time to meet emerging requirements, following due stakeholder consultation.

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