KATHMANDU: The bill to regulate advertisements, introduced by the government, has reached the Development and Technology Committee of the House of Representatives.
The bill the government had registered in the Parliament last January was presented to the Committee today.
The contents of the bill
It categorises products and services which can be advertised and can’t be advertised, has a provision of taking a permission for an advertisement via a hoarding board, incorporates the issues to be disseminated or broadcasted without advertisement, talks about the right to declare the no-advertisement zone, has the provision about the formation of Advertisement Board, its duties and responsibilities and so on.
The government has brought the bill when voices are being heard that a separate authority or a board is required to regulate advertisement products, advertisement agencies and contents of advertisements.
Till now, there is no separate Act to deal with advertisement issues which are being looked after and regulated under the National Broadcasting Act, 2049 BS (1993), the Journalist Code of Conduct, a long term policy related to the advertisement, National Mass Communications Policy-2073 BS and other policies.
The bill has proposed several provisions to regulate advertisements business to be through hoarding boards, radio and television, newspapers and online.
Permission should be taken from the local level to put up hoarding boards and any other tools of advertisement in public places. Such advertisement tools should not affect the beauty of the town and movements of the people. The Bill provisions proportional distribution of public welfare-related advertisements.
Advertisement market of the country remains at approximately Rs 30 to 50 billion, out of which print media has a larger 47 percent of share. Likewise, radio and television get 19 percent of share each, while digital media five percent. Public place advertisements and others have a 10 percent of share.
Effective cooperation is needed between the proposed advertisement board and the committee at the local level to monitor and regulate advertisement-related work for effective execution of the bill.
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