NEW DELHI:The Union Health Ministry on May 31 announced new guidelines for anti-tobacco warnings on OTT platforms. The ministry vowed to take harsh action against publishers of online content who disobey the guidelines.
This notification, which coincides with World No Tobacco Day on May 31st, requires OTT platforms to display anti-tobacco warning messages while streaming films and TV shows.
According to the Ministry notification, “If the publisher of online curated content fails to comply with the provisions of sub-rules an interministerial committee consisting of representatives from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, shall take action suomotu or on a complaint, and after identifying the publisher of online curated content, issue notice giving reasonable opportunity to explain such failure and make appropriate modification in the content.”
Tobacco addiction has been recognised as the single largest cause of preventable death and disability worldwide. Every year millions of people die due to tobacco use.
