India: Misleading advertisements - government scanner

Be it for a zero cholesterol snack or a baby oil that leads to strong bones, or tonics that help a child grow faster, misleading advertisements are drawing unsuspecting consumers into buying products that offer minimal or no health benefits .

Taking note of the scores of misleading advertisements that seek to woo mothers, children and adults, the government is planning to come out with a policy to curb the advertisement that are aired on different channels or printed in newspapers and magazines across the country every day.

Expressing concern over the trend, Consumer Affairs Minister KV Thomas on Saturday said: “The government will soon come out with a policy to curb the practice of misleading ads in print and TV media that distort competition and violate the basic rights of the consumers.”

Regarding such advertisements that go on air or are published with impunity, especially for health oils and tonics or nutritional supplements, Thomas said “the government is very serious about checking this menace.”

The minister said: “The influence of ads on consumer choice is undeniable. We have noticed that a lot of misleading ads especially on health tonics and oils are coming in print and TV media and this is a disturbing trend.” Thomas made the observations in an address at a consumer awareness seminar organised by the consumer affairs ministry.

“Misleading advertisements distort competition and violate the basic rights of consumers. We are in talks with stakeholders like corporates and media to come out with a policy mechanism to tackle this,” he said.

Similar thoughts were expressed by Consumers Affairs Secretary Pankaj Agarwal who said that the ministry, through different awareness programmes, was trying to sensitise consumers and business executives regarding consumer grievances and services. read more http://newindianexpress.com/business/news/article1409414.ece