Committee on Content Regulation in Government Advertising (CCRGA)

Why in News?

19th meeting of Supreme Court -mandated Committee on Content Regulation in Government Advertising (CCRGA) was held recently.

What is CCRGA? When was it set up?

As per the directions of Supreme Court in 2015, the Government of India had set up a three member body in 2016 to look into content regulation of government funded advertisements in all media platforms.

• As per directions of the Hon’ble Supreme Court, states are mandated to set up their respective three member committees on Content Regulation of Government Advertisements.
• Karnataka, Goa, Mizoram and Nagaland States have already constituted state-level Three Member Committees.

What are its powers?

• It is empowered to address complaints from the general public and can also take suo-moto cognizance of any violation of the Supreme Court guidelines and recommend corrective actions.
• The Committee may, if necessary, also decide to summon the concerned official of the Govt. agencies dealing with release of advertisements in the event of undue delay in responding to Committee’s notices.

Supreme Court Guidelines:

• The content of government advertisements should be relevant to the government’s constitutional and legal obligations as well as the citizen’s rights and entitlements.
• The advertisement materials should be designed to meet the objectives of the campaign and to ensure maximum reach in a cost effective way.
• It should be accurate and not presenting pre existing policies and products as new. The advertisement content should also not promote the political interests of the ruling party.