Govt to take action against misleading advertisements: Ramadoss

New Delhi, Aug 18 (UNI) Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss today said the government would amend the law to check misleading advertisements.

Talking to reporters here, Dr Ramadoss said though the act regarding claims of magical remedies exists, it would be further amended to take stringent action against those indulging in giving misleading advertisements.

He said the new act would also cover ayurvedic formulations including those being promoted by Yoga Guru Ramadev. All the claims of advertisements must be proved, he said.

The minister, however, parried a question regarding instructions to soft drink companies to display content of their products.

Earlier, the Supreme Court had yesterday pulled up the Centre for not implementing the law aimed at checking misleading advertisements as well as making it mandatory for soft drink companies like Pepsi and Coca Cola to display the content of their products at the bottom.

A bench comprising Justices AK Mathur and Dalveer Bhandari directed the Union Government to file a detailed affidavit giving reasons for not notifying Food Safety and Standards Act which has been passed by both Houses of Parliament and has also received Presidential assent.

The petitioner Centre for Public Interest Litigation had contended before the court that the government was deliberately avoiding the implementation of the law may be under the influence of multinationals soft drinks majors who have been opposing any direction or law which may force them to display the contents of their soft drinks According to the petitioner, the chemicals used in the soft drinks are extremely harmful for the health of the consumer a majority of whom are children. The petitioner have also been demanding from the soft drink companies to reveal the use of pesticides as well as contaminated water.

UNI