India’s TV and watchdog has launched a crackdown on advertisers and broadcasters who make misleading claims about traditional health remedies and systems, reports Business Standard.
India’s Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry last week issued a strongly worded advisory to television channels to intervene decisively on advertisements for herba;, ayurvedic, unani and homeopathic products that are not licensed by the country’s Ministry of Ayush (ayurveda, yoga, unani, siddha and homoeopath).
I&B Ministry director, Amit Katoch, has warned broadcasters and advertisers to expect “strong action” in cases of non-compliance. In extreme cases, broadcasters could face having their licences revoked, he warned.
Traditional health products have been growing in popularity in India in recent years, and have been identified as a valuable source of economic growth, both domestically and in terms of exports. On the back of this popularity lengthy ‘advertorials’ about traditional health products are now as common and frequent feature across India’s broadcast networks – from news outlets to teleshopping channels. Concern has been growing that some of these ads make false claims and feature unlicensed products.
Earlier this year the Ministry of Ayush and the Advertising Standards Council of India agreed to co-operate on weeding out misleading ads for traditional health products.