NEW DELHI: The government issued new guidelines on Friday to combat misleading commercials and endorsers, including the prohibition of surrogate ads and the imposition of tough standards for promotions that seek to entice consumers with discounts and free claims.

The new "Prevention of Misleading Commercials and Endorsements for Misleading Advertisements, 2022" standards also aim to control advertisements targeting children.

The guidelines, which were announced by the consumer affairs ministry and took effect immediately, also state that proper care must be exercised before endorsing commercials.

Violations of the new standards will be prosecuted under the Consumer Protection Act (CPA), which carries a penalty of Rs 10 lakh for the first infringement and Rs 50 lakh for successive violations.

"Advertisements have considerable interest for consumers," consumer affairs secretary Rohit Kumar Singh said when announcing the guidelines. The CCPA Act has procedures for dealing with deceptive marketing that harm consumers' rights.

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