I&B MINISTRY AND ASCI COOPERATION
TO CHECK OBJECTIONABLE
ADS
The Ministry of Information
and Broadcasting and the Advertising Standards Council of India
(ASCI) would take steps to harmonize the Advertisement Code under
the Cable Television Regulation Act and the Code prescribed by
the ASCI in order to check the menace of objectionable advertisement
on TV channels. At a meeting between the Minister of Information
& Broadcasting, Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad and a delegation
of the ASCI led by its President Shri Ravi Kant it was agreed
that both the Government and the ASCI would synergise their efforts
to ensure that decency is maintained in advertisements.
Shri Prasad said
that he believes in self-regulation and not in favour of enforcement
by the Government. He said, professional organizations like ASCI
must exercise their influence in motivating their member advertisers
to conform to their own code for observing decency, legality,
honesty, truthfulness and respectability. He also asked ASCI to
spread their network beyond Metros to the small towns.
Expressing his
concern over indecent ads and also surrogate ones to skirt the
ban on liquor and tobacco ads, Shri Prasad said that he is receiving
a very large number of complaints against such ads even from MPs,
judges, lawyers, women organizations etc., urging for drastic
action against the offenders. The ads must be presented in a creative
manner as such ads have a very lasting effect, he said.
ASCI representatives
shared the concern of the Minister and said that despite limited
resources and infrastructure at their disposal they have a mechanism
to receive complaints against offending ads and takes suitable
action against the violators. They agreed that self-regulation
is the best way to meet the challenge and said that they would
launch an awareness campaign to educate the pubic, inviting complaints
if any against objectionable ads.
The Information
& Broadcasting Ministry also launched the ASCI website on
the occasion. The website gives information about the ASCI Ad
Code, mechanism to receive complaints against objectionable ads
and process for their disposal.
