MAM
Penal provisions to ensure Govt ads only via DAVP
NEW DELHI: Penal provisions should be put in place to discourage Ministries and Government Departments from issuing display advertisements directly to the media without routing them through the Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity (DAVP).
Severely reprimanding this trend, the Standing Parliamentary Committee for Information Technology has said that this violates Clause-3 of the Advertisement Policy of the Government, which provides that all Central Govt. Ministries/ Departments/ Attached & Subordinate Offices/ Field Offices shall route their advertisements, including display advertisements, through DAVP.
The Committee noted that the Information and Broadcasting Ministry had time and again taken up the issue with the Ministries/Departments to route their advertisements through DAVP only to no avail.
The DAVP is the nodal multi media advertising central agency to execute publicity campaigns through advertisements etc. on behalf of various Ministries/Departments of Government of India, autonomous bodies and public sector undertakings.
It noted that the immediate fall out of such violation by the Ministries/Departments has resulted in small, medium and regional language newspapers not getting their due share. Many regional newspapers have been alleging favoritism by DAVP.
The Committee was also unhappy that total outstanding dues to DAVP from various Ministries/Departments of the Government of India is approximately Rs 630 million till 31 March this year.
The Committee have been informed that the Ministries/Departments pay their outstanding in the first quarter of the next financial year. Fresh outstanding also arise in the last quarter of the financial year, when the Letter of Authority issued by the Departments/Ministries lapses on 31 March. The Committee observed that the existing system of recovery of dues from Ministries/Departments is not prudent enough leading to huge amount of outstanding dues. Therefore, the Committee desire that DAVP should evolve a system whereby the Ministries/Departments may be asked to settle their dues within one month from the date of issue of letter of Intent.
Interestingly, the Committee was informed by the I&B Ministry that the Prime Minister’s office, the Planning Commission, and the Cabinet Secretariat etc. had been designated as non-paying departments and their expenditures were borne by the I&B Ministry.
Ministries and Departments are permitted to issue tender notices directly to empanelled newspapers only at DAVP rates. PSUs, Autonomous Bodies & Societies of the Central Government may issue all advertisements, directly at DAVP rates to empanelled newspapers, provided all classified and display advertisements are released in the following manner:
(In rupee terms)
Small 15% minimum
Medium 35% minimum
Big 50% maximum
English language 30% (approx.)
Hindi language 35% (approx.)
Regional and Other languages* 35% (approx.)
These include Bodo, Dogri, Garhwali, Kashmiri, Khasi, Konkani, Maithili, Manipuri, Mizo, Nepali, Rajasthani, Sanskrit, Santhali, Sindhi, Urdu and Tribal languages as certified by State Governments.
The Committee noted with satisfaction that there had been near 100% utilization of RE funds by DAVP during the Eleventh Plan. The Committee hoped that the same trend will continue during the Twelfth Plan.
| (Rs in million) | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 |
| Proposed Outlay | 282.5 |
228 |
59.3 |
530 |
545 |
| B. E. | 260.1 |
217.6 |
268.8 |
445 |
560 |
| R. E. | 184.1 |
481.8 |
368.8 |
445 |
887.9 |
| Actual | 184.1 |
481.9 |
368.1 |
328 |
757.7 |
| %age of expenditure | 100 |
100.02 |
99.81 |
73.89 |
85.34 |
MAM
Bharat Vedica launches ‘From Beehives to Bottle’ campaign
Honey brand uses honeycomb-inspired hexagon bottle and reels to celebrate nature’s craft.
MUMBAI: Bharat Vedica just bottled nature’s buzz because when bees build the perfect shape, the smartest thing a brand can do is copy the homework. Bharat Vedica, the wellness-focused organic brand under A Patel Venture, has rolled out a digital-first campaign titled ‘From Beehives to Bottle’ that traces honey’s journey from blossom to breakfast table. The storytelling series of Instagram reels follows bees collecting nectar, the transformation inside the hive, and the final bottling turning a quiet natural process into engaging short-form content.
At the centre of the narrative is the brand’s new hexagon-shaped honey bottle, directly inspired by the honeycomb’s geometry widely regarded as one of nature’s most efficient designs. The shape serves as both packaging innovation and visual metaphor for precision, balance and harmony in every drop.
Nutritionist Kiran Kukreja (Nutty Over Nutrition) appears in the campaign content, explaining raw honey’s everyday benefits and its role in modern wellness routines.
The reels have driven strong performance on Instagram, with the brand recording a high double-digit month-on-month increase in follower acquisition and impressions reaching multiples of the existing base significantly boosting top-of-funnel visibility and discovery among premium consumers.
Bharat Vedica MD Arvind Patel said, “Bees build honeycombs with remarkable precision, creating a structure that represents efficiency, balance, and harmony. The hexagon bottle draws inspiration from that natural design, translating the beauty of the hive into something people can experience in their everyday kitchens.”
The refreshed raw honey range includes Ajwain Flower Honey, Rose Petal Honey, Forest Honey and Saffron (Kesar) Honey, available in 250 g and 500 g sizes. It is currently sold on the brand’s website and Amazon, with wider retail availability planned soon.
In a wellness world full of loud promises, Bharat Vedica quietly lets the bees do the talking proving that sometimes the sweetest story isn’t invented in a boardroom, it’s already humming away in a hive.
