Ministries continue to violate govt advertising policy

Issuing display ads directly in violation of Clause-3

Even after a recent guideline by the Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry directing all central ministries, departments and PSUs to route their advertisements through the directorate of advertising and visual publicity (DAVP), the ministries continue to play ‘favoritism’ and place their advertisements directly in select media.

According to a government official, the recent Standing Committee report on Information and Broadcasting has found that ministries continue to issue display advertisements directly in violation of Clause-3 of the advertising policy. The committee has also recommended that ministries that fail to abide by the guidelines should be penalised.

DAVP is the nodal agency service the advertisements released by the central government departments, ministries and public sector undertakings. Ministries and government departments should route their advertisements, including display ads, through DAVP.

 

Earlier, the Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting had said, “Some ministries have been issuing advertisement directly in violation of Clause-3 of the advertisement policy of the government.... the committee desire that the ministry should incorporate some penal provision in the above advertisement policy, as it is a major source of corruption.”

More so even, when ministries are violating the guidelines of Clause-3 including financial guidelines, there are no penal provisions and hence, the nodal agency is not in a position to invoke them.

The immediate fall out of such violation by the ministries has resulted in small, medium and regional language newspapers not getting their due share.

The committee is also not convinced by the assurance given by the I&B Ministry that such violations will not be repeated in future. Earlier, the I&B Ministry had said that such violations had been brought to the notice of the Cabinet Secretary, who in turn has written to all defaulting ministries to route their advertisements through DAVP. “As such, it is expected that there may not be many cases of violation in future.”