“There is an immense need for carrying out regulatory reviews and analysis of the impact of current regulations as well as regulatory alternatives in order to implement forward looking changes” said Arun Maira, Member, Planning Commission of India at the OECD-CUTS Seminar on “Regulatory Reform and Building Governance Capacities in India” organised here. CUTS International is a civil society organisation which has been at the forefront of developing popular understanding of regulatory issues and undertaking research and advocacy for promotion of related necessary reform in India as well as other developing countries.
Maira was reacting to a series of presentations made by CUTS and OECD staff on the state of regulation and underlying practices in the Indian economy as well as those in vogue in OECD countries. He pointed to the need for knowledge sharing but cautioned that there is a need for well considered adaptation before applying the experiences of other countries to that of India.
Earlier, Richard Boucher, Deputy Secretary General of OECD, opened the conference and pointed to the need to fine tune regulation for improved economic growth as both over and under regulation are dangerous. He highlighted the long tradition of the OECD in undertaking work on regulatory issues with a view to improving welfare in various countries and informed the gathering about OECD intentions to undertake such work in close cooperation with the Indian government.
Besides presenters from OECD and CUTS International, other speakers at the conference included Geeta Gouri, Member, Competition Commission of India who focused on the need to strengthen the culture of competition in the Indian economy; Vijay Mathur, former Chairman, Airport Authority of India who emphasised the need to build public awareness on regulatory and competition issues; Mukesh Kacker, Director General, CUTS Institute for Regulation and Competition whose study of the civil aviation sector highlighted the need for regulatory simplification, clarity and transparency; and Payal Malik, Associate Professor of Economics, Delhi University who stressed on the need for regulatory coherence and coordination.
The conference was attended by a representative set of stakeholders drawn from government officials, regulators, academia and lawyers among others.
For further information please contact:
Siddhartha Mitra, +91 97833 98920, SM2@cuts.org