Jio, Paytm apologise for using PM’s photo in ads

The government Friday said Reliance Jio and Paytm have apologised for their “inadvertent” mistake in using Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s photograph in their advertisements without permission.

Notices had been sent by the consumer affairs department to both the companies under the Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act, 1950, which bars the use of Prime Minister’s name and picture for commercial use.

“Clarifications were sought by the department of consumer affairs from Paytm and Reliance Jio, wherein they apologised for their inadvertent mistake,” minister of state for consumer affairs C.R. Chaudhary told the Rajya Sabha.

The two companies used the photograph of the Prime Minister in their full-page advertisements contravening the “prior permission” stipulated under the Act, he said.

Based on the department’s request, the information and broadcasting ministry issued an advisory to the print medium to check permission from competent authority before issuing any advertisement wherein the emblem and names specified under the Act are mentioned, he added. In September last year, Reliance Jio had through its advertisements, dedicated the Reliance Jio 4G service to the government’s Digital India project.

Full-page “Reliance Jio: Digital Life” advertisements were published with a photograph of the Prime Minister, dressed in a blue jacket, triggering a political controversy.

After the government announced the demonetisation decision on 8 November, Paytm issued an advertisement welcoming the move.