Centre might ease rules for self-declaration for ads after industry meeting: HT Report

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is expected to decrease the number of sectors needing self-declaration certificates for ads.

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) plans to reduce the number of sectors that need self-declaration certificates (SDCs) for advertisements. This decision came after a meeting with industry groups and digital advertising companies like Google and Meta (Facebook) on Tuesday, June 25, 2024.

According to a report from Hindustan Times (HT), the ministry is also thinking about making it easier to get these certificates after hearing complaints from industry groups. In the meeting, the industry groups told MIB that the need for SDCs was hurting the advertising industry.

The meeting was led by Information & Broadcasting secretary Sanjay Jaju and included the Department of Consumer Affairs. Representatives from various industry associations also took part, including Indian Broadcasting and Digital Foundation (IBDF), News Broadcasters and Digital Association (NBDA), Indian Society of Advertisers (ISA), Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI), Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), Digital News Publishers Association (DNPA), Indian Newspaper Society (INS), Association of Radio Operators for India (AROI), FICCI, CII, Google and Meta attended the meeting.

On May 7, 2024, the Supreme Court decided that ads must be reviewed before being broadcast. The advertiser or ad agency needs to submit a self-declaration to the MIB’s Broadcast Seva Portal before the ad is printed, aired, or displayed.

For print and digital ads, the Supreme Court directed the MIB to set up a new portal within four weeks. “No advertisements shall be permitted to be run on the relevant channels and/or in the print media/internet without uploading the self-declaration as directed above,” it ordered.