Govt asks advertisers to submit self-declaration certificate from June 18

The government on Monday asked all advertisers and advertising agencies to submit a self-declaration certificate making it clear that the advertisement does not contain misleading claims and adheres to regulatory guidelines.

The self-declaration has to be submitted for all new print, digital, television and radio advertisements as required by a Supreme Court directive issued last month.

The Supreme Court directive is a step towards ensuring transparency, consumer protection, and responsible advertising practices, a statement by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry said.

The self-declaration certificate has to be uploaded on the Broadcast Seva Portal in case of TV and radio advertisements, and on the Press Council of India website for print, digital and internet advertisements, it added.

The certificate has to be signed by an authorised representative of the advertiser/advertising agency.

The certificate is required to be obtained by all advertisers and advertising agencies for all new advertisements that will be issued/telecast/aired/published on or after June 18, 2024.

A buffer period of two weeks has been kept for providing sufficient time to all stakeholders to familiarize themselves with the process of self-certification. Ongoing advertisements do not require the self-certification currently, the statement said.

The document should certify that the advertisement does not contain misleading claims, and complies with all relevant regulatory guidelines, including those stipulated in Rule 7 of the Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994 and the Norms of Journalistic Conduct of Press Council of India.

The advertiser must provide proof of uploading the self-declaration certificate to the relevant broadcaster, printer, publisher, or electronic media platform for their records.

As per the Supreme Court's directive, no advertisement will be permitted to run on television, print media, or internet without a valid self-declaration certificate.