Amid the row over use of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s photo in a Reliance Jio advertisement, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) clarified that it did not grant permission to use his picture for product endorsement.
The PMO, however, said the Ministry of Consumer Affairs was the competent authority to respond on use of Modi’s picture. As per the norms, a private entity has to obtain permission from the government if it wants to carry the photo of the prime minister or President.
In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha to a question by Samajwadi Party MP Neeraj Shekhar, MoS for information and broadcasting Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore admitted that the government was aware that Reliance Jio had used the prime minister’s photograph in the advertisement released to print and electronic media.
Published 02 December 2016, 19:10 IST