NEW DELHI — The steamy ads featuring a former porn star were apparently the last straw.

For months, conservative groups in India have been complaining about condom manufacturers’ risqué ads. One of the most titillating features Sunny Leone, a former actress in X-rated videos, undressing piece by piece.

So India’s government stepped in this week, declaring condom commercials “indecent” viewing for children and restricting them to the hours of 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., when relatively few people watch television.

But progressive social groups said this was a bad move. India, they argue, desperately needs more condom use, not less.

The country’s population currently stands around 1.3 billion, and within the next decade India is expected to pass China and become the world’s most populous nation. The government has spent huge amounts of money trying to control the meteoric population growth, incentivizing vasectomies and other forms of birth control.