'No liquor, tobacco ads, overt or surrogate'

The government on Tuesday said it will allow neither overt nor surrogate advertisements on liquor and tobacco in the audio-visual media and a committee constituted for the purpose has already sent notices to several television channels against whom complaints were received.

"Ads about liquor or tobacco are banned. Each channel has been sent a notice for carrying these ads directly or even for surrogate advertising. We have formed a committee to look into the matter," Information and Broadcasting Minister Sushma

Swaraj said in Rajya Sabha while replying to a debate on the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Amendment Bill 2002.

She said, "Half of those channels to which notices had been sent have stopped such ads, but strict action will be taken against any channel found violating this law."

Replying to Loktantrik Congress Party member Rajiv Shukla's demand that Doordarshan be allowed to air such ads and earn revenue, Swaraj said the question of allowing DD to air liquor and tobacco ads does not arise and, in fact, no other channel will be allowed to air such advertising.