NEW DELHI: Action was taken in 33 cases involving around 30 television channels during 2015 and 2016 for violation of the Programme and Advertising Codes of the Government.

These include cases of seventeen violations in 2015 and 16 in 2016, the information and broadcasting minister M Venkaiah Naidu told the Parliament today.

While most of these resulted in warnings or advisories along with apology scrolls to the channels, some channels were forced to stop transmission for fixed periods.

In addition, the Government issued 15 general advisories to the television channels on various issues which included coverage of anti-terrorist operations, facilitating the differently-abled viewers, sports, communal riots, victims of violence such as rape, misleading advertisements, superstitions, and so on.

Seven of these advisories were issued to news channels.

He said that according to existing regulatory framework, private satellite TV channels are required to adhere to the Programme and Advertising Codes prescribed under the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995 and Cable Television Network Rules, 1994 framed thereunder which contain a gamut of criteria to be followed while carrying programmes and advertisement in such TV channels.