On the World No Tobacco Day, the Union well being ministry on Wednesday notified the amended guidelines underneath the Cigarettes and Different Tobacco Merchandise Act, 2004, making it obligatory for OTT platforms to show anti-tobacco warnings as are seen in motion pictures screened in theatres and TV programmes.
In keeping with the notification, publishers of on-line curated content material displaying tobacco merchandise or their use might be required to show anti-tobacco well being spots every of a minimal of 30 seconds in the beginning and center of the programme.
They shall even be required to exhibit an anti-tobacco well being warning as a outstanding static message on the backside of the display when tobacco merchandise or their use are displayed through the programme.
Additionally, an audio-visual disclaimer of a minimal of 20 seconds on the ill-effects of tobacco use should be additionally displayed in the beginning and center of the programme, the supply said.
“The anti-tobacco well being warning message as laid out in clause(b) of sub-rule (1) shall be legible and readable, with font in black color on white background and with the warnings ‘Tobacco causes most cancers’ or ‘Tobacco kills’,” the notification said.
Moreover, the anti-tobacco well being warning messages, well being spots and audio-visual disclaimers should be in the identical language as used within the on-line curated content material.
The show of tobacco merchandise or their use in on-line curated content material shall not lengthen to show of the manufacturers of cigarettes or different tobacco merchandise or any type of tobacco product placement and show of tobacco merchandise or their use in promotional supplies.
In keeping with a senior ministry official, the choice was taken following discussions with the Info and Broadcasting ministry and different stakeholders. “If the writer of on-line curated content material fails to adjust to the provisions of sub-rules (1) to (5), an inter ministerial committee consisting of representatives from the Ministry of Well being and Household Welfare, Ministry of Info and Broadcasting and Ministry of Electronics and Info Expertise, shall take motion suo motu or on a grievance, and after figuring out the writer of on-line curated content material, subject discover giving cheap alternative to elucidate such failure and make acceptable modification within the content material,” the notification stated.
The expression on-line curated content material means any curated catalogue of audio-visual content material, aside from information and present affairs content material, which is owned by, licensed to, or contracted to be transmitted by a writer of on-line curated content material, and made out there on demand, together with however not restricted via subscription, over the web or laptop networks, and consists of movies, audio visible programmes,tv programmes, serials, sequence and different such content material.
