NEW DELHI: More than ninety per cent of the advertisers comply with the orders of the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI).

Information and broadcasting ministry informed the Parliament that in 2012-13, a total of 2954 complaints were received against 784 advertisements. Six hundred and forty of these complaints had been upheld and the advertisers had been asked to withdraw or modify the advertisements.

ASCI has set up a new initiative wherein advertisements which are extremely inappropriate, indecent, vulgar and against public interest are suspended pending investigation.

In cases where it appears prima facie that an advertisement is in serious breach of the ASCI code and its continued transmission on any medium causes or has the effect of causing public harm, then ASCI directs the advertiser/the advertising agency/the media buying agency and the media concerned to suspend the advertisement pending investigation.

ASCI also informed that it will write to the concerned Ministries to take appropriate action against advertisers who do not comply with the ASCI orders.