Telangana unites food safety, drug control under TG SAFE

Telangana has merged the Food Safety Department and the Drugs Control Administration into a unified body called the Telangana Standards Authority for Food and Essential Drugs (TG SAFE). The Hindu reports that Health Secretary Christina Z. Chongthu issued the merger order, appointing 2005-batch IPS officer Avinash Mohanty as Commissioner of TG SAFE, in addition to his role as DCA Director General. The government cited the rising number of licensed food business operators and the need to strengthen enforcement under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940.

The move is administrative, the order clarifies, and does not dilute the statutory powers of the two departments. TG SAFE will have six wings: Drug Administration, Food Safety, Enforcement, Legal and Prosecution, Laboratory, and Administration. According to Siasat.com, the unified system will initially operate in the CORE region, where many food and drug establishments are concentrated. The government has also constituted a state-level committee to review modernisation and recommend a full merger across Telangana.