Over 12,000 complaints about misleading TV ads received in four years, Centre tells Lok Sabha

New Delhi: More than 12,000 complaints were received with regard to misleading advertisements on television between 2017 and 2020, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting informed Lok Sabha on Friday. In written response to a question, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said that a total of 12,187 complaints were received in the Grievance Against Misleading Advertisements (GAMA) portal during the period. The portal where consumers can lodge complaints relating to misleading advertisements was launched by the Department of Consumer Affairs in 2015. The minister said that out of these complaints, 8,963 were resolved either by withdrawal or modification of advertisements. “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 minister told Lok Sabha. The Consumer Complaints Council of Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) deals with complaints received on the GAMA portal, he said. “Out of 12,187 complaints during the three years under consideration, 8,963 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,” the minister said.