The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has mandated a self-declaration certificate (SDC) for all new ads across TV, print, digital, and radio starting June 18, despite concerns raised by industry bodies on the practical difficulties in fulfilling this mandate.

The mandate comes in the wake of the Supreme Court order dated May 7 directing all advertisers and their agencies to submit an SDC before publishing or broadcasting any ad, The Economic Times reported.

The apex court’s order prohibits ads from being broadcast or published without a valid SDC, which verifies that an ad does not contain misleading claims and complies with regulatory guidelines.

Advertisers will have to provide proof of uploading the SDC to the relevant broadcaster or publisher for their records.