Telangana Merges Food Safety and Drugs Control Departments into Unified Regulatory Body TG SAFE
核心洞察
The Telangana government has merged its Food Safety Department (搜索) and Drugs Control Department into a unified administration called TG SAFE (Telangana Standards Authority for Food and Essential Drugs).
The merger aims to strengthen compliance and enforcement under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 to prevent unsafe, spurious and substandard food and drugs.
IPS officer Avinash Mohanty, previously Director General of the Drugs Control Administration, has been appointed Commissioner of the new unified body.
The Telangana government has decided to merge its Food Safety Department (搜索) and Drugs Control Department under a unified administration named TG SAFE — Telangana Standards Authority for Food and Essential Drugs. The Health, Medical & Family Welfare Department issued a Government Order (GO) creating the new body, a move intended to strengthen regulatory oversight of food, drugs and cosmetics across the state.
According to the GO, the unified administration shall preserve the statutory provisions under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940. The respective statutory authorities and officers shall continue to exercise their powers independently in accordance with the relevant enactments.
IPS officer Avinash Mohanty, who was earlier posted as Director General of the Drugs Control Administration, Telangana (搜索), has been posted as Commissioner of TG SAFE. The General Administration Department issued a separate GO for this appointment.
Rationale for the Merger
The GO issued by the Health, Medical & Family Welfare Department states that, with the increasing volume of licensed food business operations in Telangana, there is a need to strengthen compliance and enforcement under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, to prevent unsafe, spurious and substandard food and drugs and protect public health.
The Food Safety Department (搜索), functioning under the Commissioner, Food Safety, and the Drugs Control Department, which has functioned independently since 1981, regulate food, drugs and cosmetics through licensing, inspection, sampling, testing and enforcement. A single-line administrative integration of the Food and Drugs Department, augmenting statutory roles and improving coordination, surveillance and regulatory outcomes, has already been successfully adopted in several states across the country.
"The Food Safety Department (搜索) and the Drugs Control Department share common objectives relating to public health, consumer safety, quality assurance and effective regulatory enforcement. A unified administrative framework is required to improve surveillance, intelligence, enforcement, legal support and regulatory outcomes," the GO reads.
Structure and Scope of the Unified Body
Under the unified administration, drug administration, food safety, enforcement, legal and prosecution, laboratory, and administrative wings will function together. Considering the emerging diversity in food businesses and drug establishments, the government has emphasized the need for modernization without an enforcement gap.
A State-level committee shall be constituted to review existing mechanisms for implementing the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940. The terms of reference of the committee shall include a comprehensive assessment of the unified authority, focusing on systemic modernization, harmonisation of service rules and fixing optimal cadre strength for statutory duties, effective enforcement with testing and legal support, intelligence and data-analysis systems, and infrastructural upgrade for both field units and laboratory services. The stated goal is to establish a qualitative and technology-enabled regulatory framework aligned with national and global best practices.
Ministerial Direction and Operational Priorities
Health Minister C. Damodar Rajanarsimha ordered officials to prepare a plan for closer coordination between the Food Safety Department (搜索) and the Drugs Control Administration (DCA). Speaking at a review meeting at the Secretariat, he said the government would not compromise on quality food, safe medicines or public health.
During the meeting, officials proposed a merger of the departments to speed up inspections, sample collection, laboratory tests, intelligence work, enforcement and legal proceedings. They cited staff shortages, inspection difficulties, limited laboratory capacity and delays in case investigation. Officials who studied systems in other states briefed the minister.
The health minister praised both departments' work and asked Principal Secretary (Health) Christina Z. Chongthu to examine the administrative, legal and technical aspects and prepare proposals suited to Telangana. "There will be no compromise on matters concerning public health," he said, adding that Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy had focused particularly on food safety.
The minister asked officials to recruit specialists, increase staff strength, modernise food-testing laboratories and examine the need for regional laboratories. Modern equipment should improve testing capacity, while stronger legal teams should pursue cases until offenders are punished, he said.
Enforcement against adulterated food and substandard or counterfeit medicines must become stricter, Rajanarsimha said. However, he cautioned that "hotels and restaurants that provide quality food should not be harassed under any circumstances." He also asked Director-General (DCA) Avinash Mohanty to encourage good manufacturing practices and protect Hyderabad's global reputation in pharmaceutical and vaccine production.