Government to impose heavy fines on fake ad promoters

February 7, 2020 Incredible India Valli Sarvani No comments

Many Indians have an obsession with fair skin. To exploit their weakness, many companies try to improve their sales by giving fake and false advertisements.

Several buy them in a blind belief even though they seem false. In order to prevent such fake advertisements, the Indian government proposed to amend the concerned Act.

As per the reports, the government has planned to make necessary amendments to the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954.

As per the proposal, the companies that promote their products including the fairness of skin, hair loss or greying, improvement of height, obesity and such related products with false advertisements will be slapped with a fine of up to ₹50 lakhs and imprisonment up to five years.

The new rules of Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) (Amendment) Bill, 2020 has proposed that offenders will be slapped with a fine of up to ₹10 lakhs and up to two years’ imprisonment for their first offense.

However, they will have to pay heavily for their subsequent offenses as the bill has proposed to impose five years of imprisonment and a fine of up to ₹50 lakhs.

As per the existing law, the imprisonment is up to six months for first-time conviction and one year for second-time conviction with or without a fine.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare says that as time and technology are changing, the law should also be changed; hence, the ministry has proposed the amendments.

Any advertisement in any of audio or visual form claims information other than that provided in the rules by means of any form including printed and electronic media, falls under the purview.

The government also proposed to prohibit advertisements or products or medicines that claim to cure any of the 78 prescribed conditions or diseases.
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