Union Territory LGs Empowered to Combat Misleading Health Ads

The Home Ministry has granted Lieutenant Governors of five Union Territories the authority to authorize searches or seizures related to misleading health advertisements. This delegation under the Drugs and Magic Remedies Act aims to curb false claims in advertisements about treatments for diseases like cancer and diabetes.

The Home Ministry has recently empowered Lieutenant Governors (LGs) of five Union Territories with new responsibilities. As per a government order, LGs are authorized to permit officers to search premises or seize records linked to misleading health advertisements. These advertisements often make false claims of curing diseases such as cancer and diabetes.

The Union territories include Jammu and Kashmir, Lakshadweep, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, and Puducherry. The order, notified in the gazette, is aimed at enforcing the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954, more effectively in these regions.

This act, which has provisions against deceptive advertisements of drugs, restricts any publication suggesting magical cures for certain diseases listed under its schedule. By conferring these powers to LGs, the government aims to streamline the process of cracking down on false health claims.

(With inputs from agencies.)