In a draft, bill government has kept a fine up to Rs 50 lakh and imprisonment up to five years for advertisements promoting pharmaceutical products for fairness of skin, deafness, improvement of height, hair loss or greying, obesity, among others.
For the first time in (Objectionable Advertisements) (Amendment) Bill, 2020, kept a fine of up to Rs 10 lakh and up to two years’ imprisonment will be given in the case of a first offense. later judgment of imprisonment may extend to five years and the fine, up to Rs 50 lakh.
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The current law proposes imprisonment up to six years, with or without a fine and up to one year for a second-time conviction. According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, it proposing the amendment “in order to keep pace with changing time and technology.”
The amendments to expand the definition of an advertisement to “any audio or visual publicity, representation, endorsement or pronouncement made by means of light, sound, smoke, gas, print, electronic media, internet or website and includes any notice, circular, label, wrapper, invoice, banner, poster or such other documents: Provided that label or wrapper is an advertisement only if it contains any information or claim other than provided in the rules.”
