Indiantelevision.com Team

(25 February 2008 1:30pm)

NEW DELHI : Noting that several notices issued by his ministry to various television channels to curb surrogate advertising of cigarette, liquor and pan masala had not had the desired effect, Information and Broadcasting minister Priyaranjan Dasmunsi has said that suitable amendments will be made in the existing legislations to curb the menace.

Answering a question about a letter written to him by Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss to take action against tobacco and liquor companies indulging in ''surrogate'' advertising in print, electronic and outdoor media, the minister said that several hundred notices had been issued to various channels over the past few years.

Dasmunsi was speaking to indiantelevision.com on the sidelines of a press meet about the Budget session of Parliament commencing today.

In his letter, Dr Ramadoss said, “Companies like Bagpiper soda, Mcdowells, Johny Walker soda and Kingfisher mineral waters are using surrogate methods of advertising which need to be stopped.”

“The companies are, thus, trying to by-pass the advertisement ban on liquor products already in place,” he said. Thus, these ads are violative of the statutory provisions and defeat the very purpose of the ban which has been imposed.

Ramadoss had asked Dasmunsi to take appropriate action to ensure that such indirect advertisements of wine, alcohol, liquor and any tobacco products are stopped forthwith in the interest of public health.

Advertisements for tobacco were banned by the government in 2003 and ads for alcohol banned a year later. But the Health Minister's campaign against tobacco goes further, even extending to smoking on screen.

Ramadoss had justified his ban on smoking in films on the ground that 52 per cent of children took to smoking because of movie celebrities. The minister had also requested King Khan Shah Rukh to quit smoking onscreen.

Interestingly, the courts have in the past stayed attempts to place a ban on surrogate advertising on tobacco products.