'I&B Ministry received over 700 complaints of misleading ads from 2015-17'

Ministry of Information and Broadcasting received over 700 complaints against misleading advertisements in the last three years, the Lok Sabha was informed on Thursday.

In a written reply, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore said as many as 190 complaints were received in 2017, 371 complaints in 2016 and 147 complaints in 2015.

He said all the complaints received in 2015 and 2016 were disposed of.

Out of the 190 complaints received in 2017, 177 were disposed of, the minister said.

Rathore said the necessary action was taken as per the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995.

Besides issuing advisory from time to time, he said, the Department of Consumer Affairs has launched 'Grievances Against Misleading Advertisement' (GAMA) portal to encourage citizens to lodge complaints against misleading advertisements.

To a separate query, the MoS said there was no proposal of the government to set up film city in any of the states or Union Territories of the country.

He also clarified that there was no proposal to produce a film on India's independence.

To another question, Rathore said the Press Council of India (PCI) has censured 61 newspapers for violation of 'Norms of Journalistic Conduct' during last three years.

This includes 51 newspapers censured by the press body in 2017. They were suspended from the Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity (DAVP) empanelment for two months, the minister added.