Question : Misleading Advertisements

(a) whether the Government is aware of misleading advertisements on various TV channels including Doordarshan and other media and if so, the reaction of the Government thereto;

(b) whether the Government has received any memoranda/complaints during the last three years in this regard;

(c) if so, the details thereof;

(d) whether his ministry has any controlling or monitoring body especially for the advertisements telecast on TV channels and if so, the details and the mandate thereof; and

(e) the concrete measures taken/proposed to be taken by the Government to check misleading advertisements on TV channels and other media?

MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE; MINISTER OF INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING; AND MINISTER OF HEAVY INDUSTRIES AND PUBLIC ENTERPRISES
(SHRI PRAKASH JAVADEKAR)

(a) to (e): A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.
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STATEMENT AS REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (e) OF LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 65 FOR ANSWER ON 05.02.2021
(a) to (c): All advertisements telecast on TV channels are regulated in accordance with the Advertising Code prescribed under the Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994. The Advertising Code also provides that no advertisement which violates the Code of self-regulation in advertising as adopted by the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), Mumbai for public exhibition in India shall be carried in the cable service.

The Department of Consumer Affairs has launched an online portal called GAMA (Grievance Against Misleading Advertisements) portal in March 2015 where consumers can lodge complaints relating to misleading advertisements. During the last three years i.e. 2017-18 to 2019-20, 12187 complaints against misleading advertisements were received on the GAMA poral.

(d) to (e) The Consumer Complaints Council of Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) deals with complaints received on the GAMA portal. Out of 12187 complaints during the three years under consideration, 8963 were resolved, including by way of withdrawal or modification of the advertisements.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting issues advisories from time to time to broadcasters for ensuring compliance to the Advertising Codes.

Under the provisions of Consumer Protection Act, 2019, a Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has been established w.e.f. 24.07.2020 which inter-alia looks into the complaints of misleading advertisements.
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