NEW DELHI: The I&B Ministry, which recently sent showcause notices to four television channels for carrying surrogate advertisements for two liquor brands, last week sent a fresh batch of letters to them. Notices were sent to Zee, Aaj Tak, Sony and Star to stop showing surrogate liquor and tobacco ads, ministry sources say.

As reported earlier, after objections to the McDowell's Mera Number One and Gilby's Green Label ads, the ministry's attention had been drawn to four more brands for which notices were prepared. The brands under scrutiny were Charms (cigarettes), Smirnoff (vodka), Haywards and Kingfisher (both beer).

The ministry has set up a panel under additional secretary Anil Baijal to look into the matter. The committee can take cognisance suo motu or look into specific complaints that could be construed as violation of the Advertisement Code. The committee is scheduled to meet tomorrow again regarding this matter.

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