'I

Ahmedabad, Nov 16: The Consumer Education and Research Centre (CERC) today expressed ''serious concerns'' over the inadequacies in the draft code and guidelines for television advertising, prepared by a committee under the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

''The draft code does not cover the print media and the internet advertising,'' a CERC release said yesterday.

The draft code states ''It is designed to inform advertisers of the standards expected in the television advertising'' and ''is based on enduring principles that advertising should not mislead or cause widespread offence particularly to the vulnerable.'' By ignoring the print medium and the internet, the draft code ''does not provide complete protection to the interest of consumers,'' the CERC said.

The important aspect of the pre-vetting of advertisements is also missing. CERC has proposed the pre-vetting of advertisements in certain fields, which are meant for vulnerable consumers such as children and the sick.

The most disturbing factor is that the Ministry proposes to allow the broadcasting of alcohol advertisements, to which the CERC has reservations on grounds of public health.

The CERC has also emphasised the need for substantiation of all advertisements and their claims with documentary evidence and independent research.

The representation has pointed out to the I&B Ministry that the present performance of the Advertisement Standards Council of India (ASCI), which has only one office in Mumbai, ''is far from satisfactory and is not effective in curbing false or misleading advertisements.'' ASCI has also failed to address the issue of disguised advertisements in the form of editorials.

''The decisions of ASCI are not complied with by their own members. Moreover, advertisements not only in the electronic media but also those in the print media need to be regulated,'' CERC said.

The ASCI cannot be assigned the task of regulating advertisements as it cannot implement its own orders through its own members. So decisions on advertisements cannot be entrusted to the complaints committee of ASCI. It should be an independent neutral body, consisting of independent, impartial leading citizens,'' it added.

The representation has further said under the CERC-European Union project on regulatory framework for false and misleading advertisements, the CERC had prepared a draft Indian code of Advertisement Standards and a draft law called Advertisement Standards Regulatory Commission Act.

Under the project, senior CERC representatives undertook study tours of various countries of Europe for research on the regulation prevailing there and organised a one-day seminar each at Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai, involving a cross-section of stakeholders, viz advertisement agencies, the media, legal experts, government officials, academics and consumer groups.

In another development, the Union Ministry had set up a working group on Misleading Advertisements under the chairpersonship of Department of Consumer Affairs Additional Secretary Alka Sirohi. As a member of the Group, Prof Manubhai Shah, Chairman Emeritus, CERC, was entrusted with the preparation of a long-term report and recommendations.

In the light of the experience and insight gained by the CERC vis-a-vis advertisement standards and regulatory mechanisms as well as in the light of the I&B draft code, the CERC has urged the I&B Ministry in its representation to frame a comprehensive law on advertisements and set up the Advertisement Standards Regulatory Commissions at both national and state levels.

UNI