NEW DELHI: There have been nine complaints including four in the electronic media since 2011 relating to advertisements of tobacco and liquor, Parliament was told today.

 
Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore said warnings were issued to two channels – ET Now and Star Cricket in 2012 and an advisory was issued to FTV in January last year, all relating to liquor advertisements.

 
In the fourth case, the advertisement being aired on several channels in 2011 was taken off after an advisory by the Advertising Standards Council of India.

 
While four cases were closed by the Press Council of India with regard to the print advertisements, one matter relating to surrogate advertisements has been under the consideration of the government since March 2013.

 
The Press Council of India has formulated ‘Norms of Journalistic Conduct’ for adherence by the media and the relevant norm 36(ii) relating to ‘Advertisements’ prescribes that no advertisement shall be published, which promotes directly or indirectly production, sale or consumption of cigarettes, tobacco products, wine, alcohol, liquor and other intoxicants. The PCI takes cognizance, suo motu or on complaints, of the contents in print media which are in violation of the ‘Norms of Journalistic Conduct’.

In so far as private satellite TV channels are concerned, all advertisements telecast on such channels are regulated in accordance with the Advertising Code prescribed in Rule 7 of the Cable Television Network Rules, 1994. As per Rule 7(2)(viii)(A) thereof, no direct or indirect advertisements of liquor or tobacco products are permissible on TV channels. The detailed provisions of the Rule are available on Ministry of Information and Broadcasting website www.mib.nic.in.

An Inter-Ministerial Monitoring Committee has been constituted in the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution to monitor misleading advertisements appearing in print and other outdoor media.