HYDERABAD: The state government has merged the Food Safety Department and Drugs Control Administration (DCA) under a unified administrative structure, the Telangana Standards Authority for Food and Essential Drugs (TG SAFE), and appointed Avinash Mohanty as its commissioner.
According to an order issued by Health Department Principal Secretary Dr Christina Z Chongthu, TG SAFE will comprise six wings — Drug Administration, Food Safety, Enforcement, Legal and Prosecution, Laboratory, and Administration.
The Drug Administration and Food Safety wings will continue to handle licensing, inspections, sampling, testing and enforcement under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, and relevant food safety laws.
The Enforcement wing will support the statutory wings through intelligence gathering, risk-based inspections and prosecution support. Police personnel will be attached to TG SAFE to assist with enforcement activities.
The Legal and Prosecution wing will provide legal advice and prosecution support, while the Laboratory wing will bring the Food Safety Laboratory and Drug Testing Laboratory under a common administrative framework. The Administrative wing will oversee human resources, budget, accounts, stores and other administrative matters.
TG SAFE to get police backing
Chongthu said the wings would work in coordination with the statutory drug administration and food safety wings to augment their operations through intelligence gathering, risk-based inspections and prosecution support. Personnel would initially be attached to TG SAFE from the police department.
Mohanty has been tasked with commencing unified operations in the CURE Region, with priority being given to the area because of its high concentration of food business operators and drug establishments. The police department has been directed to provide adequate personnel to TG SAFE for enforcement activities.
In view of the growing diversity of food businesses and drug establishments, the government has also directed TG SAFE to constitute a state-level panel on the modernisation of food safety and drug control administration. The panel will make recommendations on modernising the system and assess the outcomes and gains arising from the implementation of TG SAFE in the CURE Region.
