New Delhi: The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) today released its Half-Yearly Complaints Report for 2024-25, revealing a concerning trend of misleading and illegal advertisements, particularly in the real estate and online betting sectors. The report highlights the urgent need for continued vigilance and collaboration between the self-regulatory body and government authorities to protect consumers.
Key Findings:
- Real Estate Tops Violations: The real estate sector emerged as the biggest offender, accounting for 34% of investigated cases. A staggering 99% of the 2115 real estate ads reviewed were found to be in violation of the Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority (MahaRERA) Act. This has resulted in MahaRERA penalizing 628 developers with fines totaling Rs 88.9 lakhs based on ASCI’s findings.
- Online Betting Ads Surge: Offshore betting platforms are increasingly exploiting digital channels to target Indian consumers. ASCI flagged 890 ads to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) for promoting illegal betting, with Instagram being a major source of these violations.
- Greenwashing Remains a Concern: Misleading “green” claims continue to proliferate, with 99% of the 100 ads reviewed in this category requiring modification. ASCI has escalated 28% of these cases to the MIB for potential violations of the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) guidelines.
- Other Violative Sectors: Healthcare, personal care, and food & beverage rounded out the top five categories with the highest number of advertising code violations.
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Impactful Partnerships and Efficient Action:
ASCI’s proactive monitoring, coupled with its partnerships with government regulators like MahaRERA and MIB, is proving effective in curbing misleading and illegal advertisements. The organization’s efforts have led to the removal of numerous violating ads and websites, demonstrating the power of collaboration between self-regulatory bodies and government authorities.
ASCI has also significantly improved its efficiency, reducing the average turnaround time for complaint resolution from 30 to 18 days. This allows the organization to focus on more serious violations and provide faster protection to consumers.
Manisha Kapoor, CEO of ASCI, emphasized the importance of collaborative action: “Our work in partnership with government regulators in sectors such as betting and realty is creating an impact. While there is a long way to go, such partnerships are able to create an impetus for better oversight.”
