Govt Reveals 1.6 Lakh Ad Self-Declarations; SC Compliance Gaps Scrutinized

• Over 1.6 lakh self-declaration certificates (SDCs) for ads in food and health sectors have been filed as of July 25, 2025, following a Supreme Court directive.
• The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (MIB) operationalized the SDC system on PCI and Broadcast Seva portals to curb misleading claims, reducing them by 30%.
• The PCI portal received 145,288 filings, and the Broadcast Seva portal recorded 16,869 SDC submissions.
• Compliance gaps, non-compliance cases, and misleading ads without valid SDCs are currently under examination by the government.
• Industry stakeholders are advocating for a single-window compliance mechanism, citing confusion with the current two-portal system and the need for simplified processes.

Why It Matters: New ad rules curb misleading ads, impacting consumers and businesses.